AnaptysBio, Inc. (NASDAQ:ANAB) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

AnaptysBio, Inc. (NASDAQ:ANAB) saw a significant growth in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 9,310,000 shares, a growth of 54.4% from the January 31st total of 6,030,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 932,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 10.0 days.

AnaptysBio Stock Performance

Shares of AnaptysBio stock opened at $16.82 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $16.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $24.65. AnaptysBio has a one year low of $12.21 and a one year high of $41.31. The stock has a market cap of $511.82 million and a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.77.

AnaptysBio (NASDAQ:ANAB) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.72) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.61) by $0.89. AnaptysBio had a negative return on equity of 287.94% and a negative net margin of 289.75%. The firm had revenue of $43.11 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.17 million. Sell-side analysts predict that AnaptysBio will post -6.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of AnaptysBio in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $25.00 target price for the company. Guggenheim cut their target price on AnaptysBio from $90.00 to $36.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on AnaptysBio from $66.00 to $36.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on AnaptysBio from $30.00 to $20.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, HC Wainwright reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $19.00 price objective on shares of AnaptysBio in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AnaptysBio has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.11.

Insider Activity at AnaptysBio

In other news, Director Ecor1 Capital, Llc purchased 6,646 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $12.95 per share, with a total value of $86,065.70. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 7,880,094 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $102,047,217.30. This trade represents a 0.08 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 33.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of AnaptysBio

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ANAB. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in AnaptysBio during the 3rd quarter worth about $574,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in AnaptysBio by 677.9% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 237,250 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $7,948,000 after acquiring an additional 206,750 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC purchased a new position in AnaptysBio during the third quarter valued at approximately $8,874,000. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in AnaptysBio in the third quarter valued at approximately $229,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in AnaptysBio by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 160,321 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $5,371,000 after purchasing an additional 5,043 shares in the last quarter.

AnaptysBio Company Profile

AnaptysBio, Inc, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, focuses in delivering immunology therapeutics. Its products include Rosnilimab, an IgG1 antibody that targets PD-1+ T cells, resulting in their agonism or depletion, broadly impacting pathogenic drivers of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases; and ANB032, a non-depleting antibody that binds to the BTLA checkpoint receptor and inhibits activated T cell proliferation; ANB033, a novel anti-CD122 antagonist antibody that targets the shared common beta subunit of the receptors for IL-15 and IL-2; ANB101, a BDCA2 modulator antibody that specifically targets plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs); and Imsidolimab, an antibody that inhibits the interleukin-36 receptor, which is in the Phase 3 development for the treatment of generalized pustular psoriasis.