Nantahala Capital Management LLC Sells 262,272 Shares of Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. (NASDAQ:OCUL)

Nantahala Capital Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. (NASDAQ:OCUL) by 37.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 437,728 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 262,272 shares during the quarter. Nantahala Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.28% of Ocular Therapeutix worth $3,738,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of Ocular Therapeutix by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,314,871 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $11,229,000 after purchasing an additional 68,174 shares in the last quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ocular Therapeutix by 35.7% in the 4th quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 371,235 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $3,170,000 after purchasing an additional 97,602 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in shares of Ocular Therapeutix by 47.8% in the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 18,101 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $152,000 after purchasing an additional 5,853 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in shares of Ocular Therapeutix by 2,045.0% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 8,859 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 8,446 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ocular Therapeutix by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 92,734 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $792,000 after purchasing an additional 2,454 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 59.21% of the company’s stock.

Ocular Therapeutix Stock Performance

Shares of OCUL stock opened at $7.71 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $7.26 and a 200 day moving average of $8.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.84 and a beta of 1.49. Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. has a 1 year low of $4.62 and a 1 year high of $11.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 13.01 and a quick ratio of 12.94.

Ocular Therapeutix (NASDAQ:OCUL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.29) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.24) by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $17.08 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.89 million. Ocular Therapeutix had a negative net margin of 283.74% and a negative return on equity of 45.18%. As a group, research analysts expect that Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. will post -0.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Ocular Therapeutix

In related news, insider Donald Notman sold 6,301 shares of Ocular Therapeutix stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.84, for a total value of $49,399.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 204,563 shares in the company, valued at $1,603,773.92. The trade was a 2.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Pravin Dugel sold 21,475 shares of Ocular Therapeutix stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.87, for a total value of $147,533.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,520,318 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,184,584.66. The trade was a 0.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 38,895 shares of company stock worth $283,772 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 3.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and issued a $15.00 price target on shares of Ocular Therapeutix in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. JMP Securities set a $19.00 price objective on shares of Ocular Therapeutix in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. William Blair initiated coverage on shares of Ocular Therapeutix in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $15.00 price objective on shares of Ocular Therapeutix in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on shares of Ocular Therapeutix in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $17.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ocular Therapeutix presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $16.38.

Ocular Therapeutix Company Profile

Ocular Therapeutix, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the formulation, development, and commercialization of therapies for diseases and conditions of the eye using its bioresorbable hydrogel-based formulation technology in the United States. The company markets DEXTENZA, a dexamethasone ophthalmic insert to treat post-surgical ocular inflammation and pain following ophthalmic surgery, as well as allergic conjunctivitis.