Short Interest in Precision BioSciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:DTIL) Decreases By 16.2%

Key Points

• Short interest fell 16.2% to 1,171,027 shares as of March 31 (about 4.8% of the stock), yielding a short-interest ratio of roughly 2.7 days based on average trading volume.
• Insider selling increased: CEO Michael Amoroso sold 34,799 shares (a 15.07% reduction in his stake) and insiders sold 93,845 shares worth $376,677 over the last three months, with insiders now owning 4.5% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment is mildly positive: the consensus is a "Moderate Buy" (three Buys, one Sell) with an average price target of $36.33 versus the recent share price near $7.88.

Precision BioSciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:DTIL - Get Free Report) saw a significant drop in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 1,171,027 shares, a drop of 16.2% from the March 15th total of 1,396,801 shares. Currently, 4.8% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 439,968 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.7 days.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Michael Amoroso sold 34,799 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.17, for a total value of $145,111.83. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 196,154 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $817,962.18. This represents a 15.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider J. Jefferson Smith sold 10,200 shares of Precision BioSciences stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.03, for a total value of $41,106.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 110,184 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $444,041.52. The trade was a 8.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 93,845 shares of company stock worth $376,677 in the last three months. Insiders own 4.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Precision BioSciences

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Precision BioSciences by 5.5% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 77,712 shares of the company's stock valued at $326,000 after acquiring an additional 4,025 shares during the last quarter. Miller Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Precision BioSciences by 50.0% in the 4th quarter. Miller Financial Services LLC now owns 15,000 shares of the company's stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 5,000 shares during the last quarter. Lynx1 Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of Precision BioSciences by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Lynx1 Capital Management LP now owns 1,042,596 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,755,000 after buying an additional 6,545 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in shares of Precision BioSciences by 15.1% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 68,311 shares of the company's stock valued at $284,000 after acquiring an additional 8,936 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HBK Sorce Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Precision BioSciences in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Institutional investors own 37.99% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on DTIL. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $19.00 target price on shares of Precision BioSciences in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (e+)" rating on shares of Precision BioSciences in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. JonesTrading reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $30.00 price objective on shares of Precision BioSciences in a report on Friday. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Precision BioSciences from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $36.33.

Precision BioSciences Stock Performance

Precision BioSciences stock traded up $0.35 during trading on Friday, reaching $7.88. The company had a trading volume of 251,651 shares, compared to its average volume of 270,195. The firm has a market capitalization of $203.33 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.54 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 13.32, a quick ratio of 13.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $5.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $5.24. Precision BioSciences has a 52 week low of $3.53 and a 52 week high of $8.82.

Precision BioSciences Company Profile

Precision BioSciences is a clinical‐stage genome editing company that leverages its proprietary ARCUS platform to develop targeted gene therapies. ARCUS, an engineered nuclease derived from a naturally occurring enzyme, enables precise DNA modifications for both in vivo and ex vivo applications. The company's pipeline spans genetic diseases—including rare monogenic disorders—and immuno‐oncology, where it is advancing allogeneic cell therapy candidates designed to address hematologic malignancies and solid tumors.

Founded in 2006 as a spin‐out from research at the University of North Carolina, Precision BioSciences is headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, with additional research and manufacturing capabilities located in the Research Triangle Park area.

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