Aura Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:AURA) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

Aura Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:AURA) saw a significant drop in short interest in October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,050,000 shares, a drop of 8.7% from the September 30th total of 1,150,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 184,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.7 days. Approximately 2.5% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on AURA shares. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on Aura Biosciences from $20.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. HC Wainwright boosted their price target on shares of Aura Biosciences from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Lifesci Capital upgraded shares of Aura Biosciences to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Aura Biosciences in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised Aura Biosciences to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Aura Biosciences has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $23.00.

Aura Biosciences Price Performance

Shares of Aura Biosciences stock traded down $0.28 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $10.08. The company had a trading volume of 31,791 shares, compared to its average volume of 175,590. The firm has a market cap of $500.03 million, a PE ratio of -5.79 and a beta of 0.37. Aura Biosciences has a one year low of $5.99 and a one year high of $12.38. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $9.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $8.27.

Aura Biosciences (NASDAQ:AURA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.45) by $0.04. On average, research analysts forecast that Aura Biosciences will post -1.7 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Los Pinos Elisabet De sold 24,992 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.04, for a total value of $300,903.68. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 329,847 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,971,357.88. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Aura Biosciences news, CFO Julie B. Feder sold 25,131 shares of Aura Biosciences stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.03, for a total transaction of $302,325.93. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 134,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,615,340.28. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Los Pinos Elisabet De sold 24,992 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.04, for a total value of $300,903.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 329,847 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,971,357.88. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 67,259 shares of company stock worth $780,699 over the last 90 days. 5.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aura Biosciences

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. American Century Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in Aura Biosciences in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $119,000. American International Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Aura Biosciences by 27.4% in the first quarter. American International Group Inc. now owns 17,579 shares of the company’s stock worth $138,000 after buying an additional 3,782 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in Aura Biosciences during the first quarter worth about $144,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in Aura Biosciences in the 3rd quarter worth about $169,000. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in shares of Aura Biosciences by 39.6% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 63,483 shares of the company’s stock valued at $480,000 after acquiring an additional 18,011 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.75% of the company’s stock.

Aura Biosciences Company Profile

Aura Biosciences, Inc, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, develops precision immunotherapies to treat a range of solid tumors. The company's proprietary platform enables the targeting of a range of solid tumors using virus-like particles conjugated with drugs or loaded with nucleic acids to create virus-like drug conjugates.