Vigil Neuroscience, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIGL) Short Interest Up 314.3% in July

Key Points

• Vigil Neuroscience experienced a drastic rise in short interest, increasing by 314.3% from June to July, totaling 447,400 shares shorted.
• Several analysts have downgraded their ratings for Vigil Neuroscience, with price targets now set at $8.00 and a consensus rating of "Hold."
• Institutional investors control approximately 83.64% of Vigil Neuroscience's stock, with significant increases in holdings by firms like BVF Inc. and Aberdeen Group.

Vigil Neuroscience, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIGL - Get Free Report) saw a large growth in short interest in July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 447,400 shares, agrowthof314.3% from the June 30th total of 108,000 shares. Currently,1.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,420,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.3 days. Based on an average daily volume of 1,420,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.3 days. Currently,1.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Vigil Neuroscience Stock Performance

Shares of Vigil Neuroscience stock remained flat at $8.05 on Friday. 2,491,464 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 835,291. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $7.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $4.27. Vigil Neuroscience has a twelve month low of $1.31 and a twelve month high of $8.10.

Vigil Neuroscience (NASDAQ:VIGL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.49) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.53) by $0.04. Equities analysts expect that Vigil Neuroscience will post -2.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Vigil Neuroscience

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC increased its stake in Vigil Neuroscience by 53.0% during the 4th quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 24,120 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 8,358 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vigil Neuroscience in the fourth quarter valued at $83,000. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC purchased a new position in Vigil Neuroscience in the second quarter valued at $89,000. Barclays PLC grew its stake in Vigil Neuroscience by 43.6% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 64,049 shares of the company's stock worth $109,000 after purchasing an additional 19,436 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Vigil Neuroscience by 29.0% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 64,737 shares of the company's stock valued at $110,000 after purchasing an additional 14,572 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.64% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on VIGL. HC Wainwright cut shares of Vigil Neuroscience from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $14.00 to $8.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Stifel Nicolaus cut Vigil Neuroscience from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $11.00 to $8.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Citigroup downgraded Vigil Neuroscience to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Guggenheim set a $8.00 target price on Vigil Neuroscience and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Citizens Jmp downgraded Vigil Neuroscience from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $10.80.

Vigil Neuroscience Company Profile

Vigil Neuroscience, Inc, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, focuses on developing treatments for rare and common neurodegenerative diseases by restoring the vigilance of microglia, the sentinel immune cells of the brain. Its lead candidate is VGL101(Iluzanebart), a human monoclonal antibody agonist targeting human triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 and is in a Phase 2 trial in patients with adult-onset leukoencephalopathy with axonal spheroids and pigmented glia (ALSP), a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disease.