SG Americas Securities LLC Decreases Stake in Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLRX)

SG Americas Securities LLC cut its holdings in Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLRX) by 47.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,150 shares of the company’s stock after selling 21,741 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Pliant Therapeutics were worth $271,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in PLRX. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Pliant Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter worth about $59,000. Deerfield Management Company L.P. Series C purchased a new stake in shares of Pliant Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter worth about $126,000. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Pliant Therapeutics by 9.1% in the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 14,489 shares of the company’s stock worth $216,000 after buying an additional 1,203 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Pliant Therapeutics by 221.2% in the 2nd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 27,557 shares of the company’s stock worth $296,000 after buying an additional 18,977 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Pliant Therapeutics by 99.8% in the 1st quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 20,006 shares of the company’s stock worth $298,000 after buying an additional 9,992 shares in the last quarter. 97.30% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pliant Therapeutics Trading Up 3.6 %

NASDAQ PLRX opened at $15.20 on Monday. Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. has a 12 month low of $10.22 and a 12 month high of $19.62. The company has a 50-day moving average of $12.53 and a 200-day moving average of $12.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 14.47 and a quick ratio of 14.47. The company has a market cap of $924.16 million, a P/E ratio of -4.92 and a beta of 1.13.

Pliant Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PLRX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported ($0.92) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.85) by ($0.07). As a group, equities analysts predict that Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. will post -3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on PLRX. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Pliant Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $38.00 target price on shares of Pliant Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Leerink Partners began coverage on shares of Pliant Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, September 9th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $33.00 target price for the company. Leerink Partnrs raised shares of Pliant Therapeutics to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their target price on shares of Pliant Therapeutics from $48.00 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $40.57.

About Pliant Therapeutics

Pliant Therapeutics, Inc, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, discovers, develops, and commercializes novel therapies for the treatment of fibrosis and related diseases in the United States. The company's lead candidate is bexotegrast, an oral, small-molecule, dual selective inhibitor of avß6 and avß1 integrins, which is in phase 2b trials for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and in phase 2a trial for primary sclerosing cholangitis.