Precision BioSciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:DTIL) Short Interest Up 19.3% in January

Precision BioSciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:DTIL) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,323,402 shares, a growth of 19.3% from the December 31st total of 1,109,761 shares. Currently, 10.4% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 253,385 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.2 days. Based on an average trading volume of 253,385 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.2 days. Currently, 10.4% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Precision BioSciences in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Precision BioSciences has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $60.00.

Precision BioSciences Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:DTIL opened at $3.83 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $50.79 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.46 and a beta of 1.31. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $4.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $5.08. The company has a quick ratio of 3.45, a current ratio of 3.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. Precision BioSciences has a fifty-two week low of $3.65 and a fifty-two week high of $8.82.

Precision BioSciences (NASDAQ:DTIL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported ($1.84) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.31) by ($1.53). Precision BioSciences had a negative return on equity of 233.77% and a negative net margin of 11,977.36%.The firm had revenue of $0.01 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.40 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($2.25) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Precision BioSciences will post -1.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider J. Jefferson Smith sold 10,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.03, for a total value of $41,106.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 110,184 shares in the company, valued at $444,041.52. This represents a 8.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael Amoroso sold 34,799 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.17, for a total transaction of $145,111.83. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 196,154 shares in the company, valued at $817,962.18. The trade was a 15.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 7,081 shares of company stock valued at $33,714 and have sold 60,212 shares valued at $247,526. Corporate insiders own 4.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Precision BioSciences by 5.5% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 77,712 shares of the company’s stock worth $326,000 after purchasing an additional 4,025 shares in the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Precision BioSciences in the second quarter valued at about $260,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Precision BioSciences during the second quarter worth about $425,000. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC acquired a new position in Precision BioSciences during the third quarter worth about $72,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Precision BioSciences by 21.5% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 492,596 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,719,000 after buying an additional 87,242 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 37.99% of the company’s stock.

About Precision BioSciences

Precision BioSciences is a clinical‐stage genome editing company that leverages its proprietary ARCUS platform to develop targeted gene therapies. ARCUS, an engineered nuclease derived from a naturally occurring enzyme, enables precise DNA modifications for both in vivo and ex vivo applications. The company’s pipeline spans genetic diseases—including rare monogenic disorders—and immuno‐oncology, where it is advancing allogeneic cell therapy candidates designed to address hematologic malignancies and solid tumors.

Founded in 2006 as a spin‐out from research at the University of North Carolina, Precision BioSciences is headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, with additional research and manufacturing capabilities located in the Research Triangle Park area.