Zenas BioPharma (NASDAQ:ZBIO) Trading 7.7% Higher - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• ZBIO shares rose 7.7% to $32.745 during mid-day trading, although volume was about 70% below the average session level.
• Analysts maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, with six Buy, two Hold, and one Sell recommendations; the average price target is $44.29.
• Zenas remains unprofitable, reporting a quarterly loss of $1.46 per share and facing an expected full-year loss of $4.47 per share, while insiders have purchased $2.08 million worth of shares over the past 90 days.

Zenas BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZBIO - Get Free Report) rose 7.7% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $33.30 and last traded at $32.7450. Approximately 258,950 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 70% from the average session volume of 856,417 shares. The stock had previously closed at $30.39.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ZBIO. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Zenas BioPharma from a "sell (d-)" rating to a "sell (e+)" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Zenas BioPharma in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Zenas BioPharma from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 27th. Zacks Research raised shares of Zenas BioPharma from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating on shares of Zenas BioPharma in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Zenas BioPharma has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $44.29.

Zenas BioPharma Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 11.94, a quick ratio of 11.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $22.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $22.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.04 billion, a PE ratio of -3.81 and a beta of -0.96.

Zenas BioPharma (NASDAQ:ZBIO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The company reported ($1.46) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.01. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.80) earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Zenas BioPharma, Inc. will post -4.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Zenas BioPharma news, CEO Leon O. Moulder, Jr. bought 60,000 shares of Zenas BioPharma stock in a transaction on Monday, May 18th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $16.88 per share, for a total transaction of $1,012,800.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 96,928 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,636,144.64. The trade was a 162.48% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders have purchased a total of 120,000 shares of company stock worth $2,080,000 over the last 90 days. 22.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Zenas BioPharma

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Quarry LP lifted its position in shares of Zenas BioPharma by 34.5% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,134 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG increased its holdings in shares of Zenas BioPharma by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 12,781 shares of the company's stock valued at $464,000 after acquiring an additional 554 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its stake in shares of Zenas BioPharma by 48.3% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,178 shares of the company's stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 709 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its holdings in Zenas BioPharma by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 20,382 shares of the company's stock worth $452,000 after purchasing an additional 765 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in Zenas BioPharma by 5.8% during the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 14,809 shares of the company's stock worth $329,000 after purchasing an additional 818 shares during the period.

About Zenas BioPharma

Zenas BioPharma, Inc is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of novel therapies in oncology and infectious diseases. The company's proprietary platform integrates structure-guided design, computational modeling and high-throughput screening to address challenging protein-protein interactions. Zenas BioPharma is advancing multiple preclinical and clinical-stage candidates aimed at providing new treatment options where current modalities may be limited by efficacy or safety concerns.

Founded in 2021 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Zenas BioPharma was built to streamline the drug discovery process from target identification through to IND-enabling studies.

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