Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:XENE) Given Average Rating of "Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is positive: Seventeen brokerages give Xenon Pharmaceuticals an average “Buy” rating, with 14 buys, two strong buys and one sell. The average 12-month price target is $77.13, above the stock’s $64.23 opening price.
• Shares remain below their recent high: XENE was trading down 1.6%, with a 12-month range of $35.60 to $72.66 and a market capitalization of approximately $6.21 billion. The company’s latest quarterly loss of $1.11 per share was slightly better than the expected $1.16 loss.
• Institutional ownership is substantial: Institutional investors own 95.45% of the stock, with major funds including BlackRock and Holocene Advisors establishing new positions. Insiders sold 12,512 shares worth about $774,000 over the past three months.

Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:XENE - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Buy" from the seventeen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, fourteen have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $77.1333.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals from $82.00 to $81.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 7th. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $74.00 target price on shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday, July 6th.

Xenon Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 1.6%

NASDAQ XENE opened at $64.23 on Friday. Xenon Pharmaceuticals has a 12 month low of $35.60 and a 12 month high of $72.66. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $61.13 and a 200-day moving average of $54.94. The company has a market cap of $6.21 billion, a PE ratio of -13.55 and a beta of 0.62.

Xenon Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:XENE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.11) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.16) by $0.05. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($1.07) EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Xenon Pharmaceuticals will post -4.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gary Patou sold 1,322 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.14, for a total transaction of $70,251.08. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 24,896 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,322,973.44. The trade was a 5.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Steven Gannon sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.06, for a total value of $640,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 1,870 shares in the company, valued at approximately $119,792.20. This trade represents a 84.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 12,512 shares of company stock valued at $774,088 over the last three months. Insiders own 2.91% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xenon Pharmaceuticals

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter valued at about $454,057,000. Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter worth about $56,637,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals by 66.0% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,609,857 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $144,936,000 after buying an additional 1,435,096 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals by 1,968.3% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 862,300 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $38,650,000 after buying an additional 820,608 shares during the period. Finally, Vestal Point Capital LP grew its stake in Xenon Pharmaceuticals by 53.8% in the 2nd quarter. Vestal Point Capital LP now owns 2,000,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $62,600,000 after buying an additional 700,000 shares during the last quarter. 95.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Xenon Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc is a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering and developing novel, small‐molecule drugs targeting ion channels in the central and peripheral nervous system. The company's research focus centers on neurological and pain disorders—including epilepsy, migraine, and neuropathic pain—by modulating key ion‐channel proteins to restore normal neuronal function. Xenon's scientific platform draws upon advances in ion‐channel biology and structure‐based drug design to identify and optimize therapeutic candidates with the potential for improved safety and efficacy profiles compared with existing treatments.

The company's pipeline comprises multiple preclinical and clinical programs.

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