Brokerages Set Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:XENE) Target Price at $77.20

Shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:XENE) have been given an average recommendation of “Buy” by the seventeen analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, fourteen have given a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $77.20.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals from $56.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $60.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Wedbush lowered their price target on shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals from $64.00 to $63.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th.

Xenon Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

NASDAQ XENE opened at $51.73 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $55.83 and a 200-day moving average of $48.55. The stock has a market cap of $5.00 billion, a PE ratio of -11.01 and a beta of 0.62. Xenon Pharmaceuticals has a 52-week low of $30.00 and a 52-week high of $63.95.

Xenon Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:XENE) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.17) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.17). During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.83) EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Xenon Pharmaceuticals will post -4.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Andrea Difabio sold 2,607 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.11, for a total transaction of $156,706.77. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 4,893 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $294,118.23. This trade represents a 34.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Ian Mortimer sold 270,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.33, for a total transaction of $16,289,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 6,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $361,980. This represents a 97.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 296,707 shares of company stock valued at $17,845,365. 4.07% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Xenon Pharmaceuticals

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new stake in Xenon Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth about $2,001,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Xenon Pharmaceuticals by 11.3% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,399,033 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $56,171,000 after buying an additional 142,452 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in Xenon Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth about $5,342,000. HighVista Strategies LLC grew its stake in Xenon Pharmaceuticals by 80.2% during the third quarter. HighVista Strategies LLC now owns 82,190 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $3,300,000 after buying an additional 36,570 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Peregrine Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Xenon Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth about $7,837,000. 95.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Xenon Pharmaceuticals

Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc is a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering and developing novel, small‐molecule drugs targeting ion channels in the central and peripheral nervous system. The company’s research focus centers on neurological and pain disorders—including epilepsy, migraine, and neuropathic pain—by modulating key ion‐channel proteins to restore normal neuronal function. Xenon’s scientific platform draws upon advances in ion‐channel biology and structure‐based drug design to identify and optimize therapeutic candidates with the potential for improved safety and efficacy profiles compared with existing treatments.

The company’s pipeline comprises multiple preclinical and clinical programs.