Humacyte (NASDAQ:HUMA) Receives Speculative Buy Rating from Benchmark

Humacyte (NASDAQ:HUMA)‘s stock had its “speculative buy” rating restated by stock analysts at Benchmark in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $1.00 target price on the stock, down from their previous target price of $10.00. Benchmark’s target price suggests a potential upside of 66.39% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on HUMA. Wall Street Zen lowered Humacyte from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, December 21st. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $3.00 price target on shares of Humacyte in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Humacyte in a report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Humacyte in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Finally, D. Boral Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $25.00 target price on shares of Humacyte in a report on Friday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $6.43.

Humacyte Stock Performance

NASDAQ:HUMA traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $0.60. 3,044,514 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,874,543. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.97, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 0.90. Humacyte has a 52-week low of $0.55 and a 52-week high of $2.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $112.55 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.07 and a beta of 1.89. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $1.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $1.27.

Humacyte (NASDAQ:HUMA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, March 27th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.13). Humacyte had a negative net margin of 1,998.87% and a negative return on equity of 808.20%. The business had revenue of $0.47 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.35 million. As a group, research analysts forecast that Humacyte will post -1.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Humacyte by 5,308.2% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,639,194 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,516,000 after purchasing an additional 2,590,394 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Humacyte by 129.5% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 2,631,990 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,528,000 after purchasing an additional 1,485,152 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG lifted its position in Humacyte by 48.8% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 2,978,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,862,000 after buying an additional 976,275 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Humacyte by 33.4% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,948,508 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,163,000 after buying an additional 738,142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Humacyte by 298.7% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 729,469 shares of the company’s stock worth $701,000 after buying an additional 546,491 shares during the last quarter. 44.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Humacyte

Humacyte, Inc is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development and manufacturing of off-the-shelf, regenerative human acellular vessels (HAVs) designed to address critical vascular access needs. The company’s proprietary vessels are engineered from human donor cells and then decellularized to create a biocompatible scaffold capable of integrating with a patient’s own tissue. Humacyte’s primary business activities encompass process development, large-scale manufacturing, and clinical evaluation of HAVs for use in end-stage renal disease, peripheral arterial disease and other vascular repair applications.

The company’s lead product candidate, the HAV, has advanced through multiple clinical trials for arteriovenous access in hemodialysis patients, demonstrating durability, reduced infection rates and compatibility with repeated cannulation.