Oppenheimer Cuts Aardvark Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AARD) Price Target to $21.00

Aardvark Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AARD) had its price objective decreased by Oppenheimer from $35.00 to $21.00 in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. Oppenheimer currently has an outperform rating on the stock.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on AARD. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Aardvark Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, December 29th. William Blair assumed coverage on Aardvark Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, December 12th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. B. Riley Financial began coverage on Aardvark Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $32.00 price objective on the stock. HC Wainwright reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Aardvark Therapeutics in a report on Monday. Finally, BTIG Research lowered their price target on shares of Aardvark Therapeutics from $26.00 to $9.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $25.09.

Aardvark Therapeutics Stock Up 15.1%

NASDAQ AARD opened at $5.64 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $13.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $12.06. Aardvark Therapeutics has a 52 week low of $4.74 and a 52 week high of $17.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $122.78 million and a P/E ratio of -2.66.

Insider Activity at Aardvark Therapeutics

In related news, CFO Nelson Sun acquired 3,000 shares of Aardvark Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $14.40 per share, for a total transaction of $43,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 108,484 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,562,169.60. This represents a 2.84% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Tien-Li Lee bought 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $14.48 per share, with a total value of $101,360.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,551,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,467,356.24. The trade was a 0.45% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aardvark Therapeutics

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. SymBiosis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Aardvark Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $6,255,000. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new stake in Aardvark Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at $4,248,000. Cresset Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Aardvark Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at $1,951,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Aardvark Therapeutics by 53.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 297,865 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,910,000 after buying an additional 103,830 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Aardvark Therapeutics by 20.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 555,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,386,000 after buying an additional 94,744 shares during the last quarter.

Aardvark Therapeutics News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Aardvark Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Technical/market reaction: The stock is rallying on heavy intraday volume and volatility, consistent with a short-covering/technical rebound after the steep drop earlier in the week. (No single article — market action/volume cited in trading summary)
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reporting is inconsistent/erroneous in some feeds (reports showing 0 shares), so apparent “short interest” data should be treated with caution until reliable filings update.
• Neutral Sentiment: HC Wainwright reiterated a Neutral rating for AARD. HC Wainwright Reiterates Neutral Rating for Aardvark Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AARD)
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reiterated an Equal Weight rating. Morgan Stanley Reiterates Equal Weight Rating for Aardvark Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AARD)
• Neutral Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus maintains a Hold rating. Aardvark Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AARD) Earns “Hold” Rating from Stifel Nicolaus
• Negative Sentiment: Clinical risk: Aardvark paused its Phase 3 HERO (Prader‑Willi syndrome/metabolic) trial because of cardiac safety observations — the primary driver of this week’s selloff and the main fundamental negative for the stock. Aardvark Therapeutics (AARD) Is Down 61.4% After Pausing Phase 3 HERO Trial Over Cardiac Safety Questions
• Negative Sentiment: Additional press coverage highlights the trial pause and market reaction (context on safety signals and share plunge). Aardvark pauses phase 3 metabolic drug study over cardiac observations
• Negative Sentiment: Legal risk: Multiple shareholder-investigations/class-action solicitations have been announced (Pomerantz, Schall), increasing potential litigation exposure and investor uncertainty. AARD Investors Have Opportunity to Join Aardvark Therapeutics, Inc. Fraud Investigation with the Schall Law Firm INVESTOR-ALERT Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of Aardvark Therapeutics, Inc.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst sentiment turned more cautious: BTIG cut its price target (to $9) and Oppenheimer issued a pessimistic forecast — pressure on near-term expectations and valuation. BTIG Research Lowers Aardvark Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AARD) Price Target to $9.00 Oppenheimer Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Aardvark Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AARD) Stock Price

Aardvark Therapeutics Company Profile

Aardvark Therapeutics, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, specializing in the discovery and development of small-molecule modulators of the retinoic acid receptor–related orphan receptor gamma (RORγ). RORγ plays a central role in T-helper 17 (Th17) cell differentiation and inflammatory processes. By targeting this transcription factor, Aardvark aims to address a range of autoimmune and immune-mediated diseases.

The company’s lead programs consist of selective RORγ inverse agonists designed to suppress pathogenic Th17-driven responses in conditions such as psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease and other chronic inflammatory disorders.