Benitec Biopharma Limited (NASDAQ:BNTC) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Benitec Biopharma Limited (NASDAQ:BNTC) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $27.00.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a report on Friday, July 17th. Guggenheim lowered shares of Benitec Biopharma from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Benitec Biopharma from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 13th. Finally, Evercore initiated coverage on Benitec Biopharma in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $25.00 target price for the company.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Benitec Biopharma

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Suvretta Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Benitec Biopharma by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. Suvretta Capital Management LLC now owns 11,548,351 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $155,556,000 after purchasing an additional 1,671,845 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. raised its holdings in Benitec Biopharma by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 2,120,672 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $28,565,000 after purchasing an additional 148,148 shares in the last quarter. RA Capital Management L.P. bought a new position in Benitec Biopharma in the fourth quarter worth about $24,920,000. Nantahala Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Benitec Biopharma by 23.9% during the fourth quarter. Nantahala Capital Management LLC now owns 1,038,371 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $13,987,000 after buying an additional 200,276 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Benitec Biopharma by 2.4% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 992,114 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $13,919,000 after buying an additional 22,948 shares during the last quarter. 52.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Benitec Biopharma Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:BNTC opened at $11.58 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $11.96 and its 200 day moving average is $11.82. The stock has a market cap of $397.77 million, a P/E ratio of -10.16 and a beta of 0.25. Benitec Biopharma has a 52-week low of $9.85 and a 52-week high of $16.76.

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

Benitec Biopharma Company Profile

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.