55,440 Shares in Benitec Biopharma Limited $BNTC Purchased by Empery Asset Management LP

Empery Asset Management LP bought a new position in shares of Benitec Biopharma Limited (NASDAQ:BNTC) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 55,440 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock, valued at approximately $747,000. Benitec Biopharma accounts for approximately 0.7% of Empery Asset Management LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Empery Asset Management LP owned about 0.16% of Benitec Biopharma as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of BNTC. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Benitec Biopharma during the first quarter worth about $597,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Benitec Biopharma by 77.6% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 415,211 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $4,859,000 after acquiring an additional 181,391 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. acquired a new stake in Benitec Biopharma during the second quarter worth about $80,000. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in Benitec Biopharma by 11,114.0% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 20,858 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $244,000 after acquiring an additional 20,672 shares during the period. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new stake in Benitec Biopharma during the second quarter worth about $127,000. 52.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Benitec Biopharma Price Performance

NASDAQ BNTC opened at $10.39 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $356.94 million, a PE ratio of -9.11 and a beta of 0.27. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $11.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $11.87. Benitec Biopharma Limited has a 1-year low of $9.85 and a 1-year high of $17.11.

Benitec Biopharma (NASDAQ:BNTC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.24) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.27) by $0.03. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Benitec Biopharma Limited will post -1.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on BNTC shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a report on Monday, April 20th. Guggenheim lowered Benitec Biopharma from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $32.00 price target on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Benitec Biopharma from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Finally, Evercore assumed coverage on Benitec Biopharma in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $27.00.

About Benitec Biopharma

Benitec Biopharma Ltd (NASDAQ: BNTC) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing gene-silencing therapies for serious human diseases. The company’s proprietary DNA-directed RNA interference (ddRNAi) platform is designed to enable sustained expression of small RNA molecules that specifically target and silence disease-causing genes. By integrating RNAi sequences directly into DNA constructs, ddRNAi aims to provide a long-term therapeutic effect from a single administration.

Benitec’s lead programs include development of ddRNAi candidates for chronic hepatitis B virus infection and for certain ocular conditions.