Short Interest in Zenas BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZBIO) Expands By 27.4%

Zenas BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZBIO) saw a significant increase in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 6,086,840 shares, an increase of 27.4% from the December 31st total of 4,779,373 shares. Currently, 13.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 2,020,663 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.0 days. Based on an average daily volume of 2,020,663 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.0 days. Currently, 13.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on ZBIO shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Zenas BioPharma in a report on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $48.00 price target on shares of Zenas BioPharma in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $45.00 price objective on shares of Zenas BioPharma in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Morgan Stanley downgraded Zenas BioPharma from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $37.00 to $19.00 in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Zenas BioPharma in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $43.14.

Zenas BioPharma Stock Down 12.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:ZBIO opened at $18.37 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 5.66 and a quick ratio of 5.66. The stock has a market cap of $986.10 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.60 and a beta of -1.47. The company has a 50 day moving average of $30.81 and a 200-day moving average of $25.23. Zenas BioPharma has a one year low of $6.11 and a one year high of $44.60.

Zenas BioPharma (NASDAQ:ZBIO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 12th. The company reported ($1.22) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.87) by ($0.35).

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Zenas BioPharma news, CEO Leon O. Moulder, Jr. bought 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $16.38 per share, for a total transaction of $819,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 316,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,178,618.90. This trade represents a 18.79% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders acquired a total of 100,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,639,000 over the last quarter. 16.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Zenas BioPharma

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Quarry LP increased its holdings in Zenas BioPharma by 34.5% during 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. CWM LLC increased its stake in shares of Zenas BioPharma by 48.3% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,178 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 709 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its stake in shares of Zenas BioPharma by 3.9% during 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. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of Zenas BioPharma by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 14,809 shares of the company’s stock valued at $329,000 after purchasing an additional 818 shares during the period. Finally, GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new stake in Zenas BioPharma in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000.

Zenas BioPharma Company Profile

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.