HC Wainwright Analysts Increase Earnings Estimates for PLRX

Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLRX) – HC Wainwright increased their FY2029 EPS estimates for shares of Pliant Therapeutics in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, March 4th. HC Wainwright analyst E. Arce now expects that the company will earn $1.80 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $1.75. HC Wainwright currently has a “Neutral” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Pliant Therapeutics’ current full-year earnings is ($3.64) per share.

Pliant Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PLRX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 3rd. The company reported ($0.82) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.99) by $0.17.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on PLRX. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $4.00 price objective (down from $43.00) on shares of Pliant Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Pliant Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Pliant Therapeutics from $4.00 to $3.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Pliant Therapeutics from $4.00 to $3.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Leerink Partners downgraded Pliant Therapeutics from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $33.00 to $2.00 in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $13.31.

Pliant Therapeutics Stock Up 2.5 %

PLRX stock opened at $1.62 on Thursday. Pliant Therapeutics has a 1-year low of $1.26 and a 1-year high of $16.52. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $8.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.50. The company has a current ratio of 10.26, a quick ratio of 10.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $98.58 million, a PE ratio of -0.49 and a beta of 1.18.

Insider Activity at Pliant Therapeutics

In related news, insider Hans Hull sold 15,936 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.20, for a total value of $178,483.20. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 211,558 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,369,449.60. This trade represents a 7.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Bernard Coulie sold 52,419 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.20, for a total value of $587,092.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 430,517 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,821,790.40. This trade represents a 10.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 91,855 shares of company stock worth $1,026,628. Company insiders own 6.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pliant Therapeutics

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Pliant Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC raised its position in Pliant Therapeutics by 1,299.0% during the fourth quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 5,596 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 5,196 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets bought a new stake in Pliant Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth $99,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in shares of Pliant Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at $108,000. Finally, Atria Investments Inc bought a new position in shares of Pliant Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter valued at $112,000. 97.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Pliant Therapeutics Company Profile

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.