ProQR Therapeutics N.V. (NASDAQ:PRQR) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

ProQR Therapeutics N.V. (NASDAQ:PRQR) was the target of a large increase in short interest in January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 1,785,809 shares, an increase of 47.2% from the January 15th total of 1,213,326 shares. Approximately 1.9% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 439,616 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.1 days. Based on an average trading volume of 439,616 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.1 days. Approximately 1.9% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

ProQR Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of PRQR opened at $1.46 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $153.61 million, a PE ratio of -3.11 and a beta of 0.20. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $1.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $2.13. ProQR Therapeutics has a 52 week low of $1.07 and a 52 week high of $3.10.

Institutional Trading of ProQR Therapeutics

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of PRQR. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its stake in ProQR Therapeutics by 59.6% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 12,050 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 4,500 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of ProQR Therapeutics by 15.2% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 110,270 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $235,000 after buying an additional 14,549 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of ProQR Therapeutics by 23.1% in the 3rd quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 80,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $170,000 after buying an additional 15,000 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in ProQR Therapeutics by 14.9% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 139,594 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $297,000 after buying an additional 18,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sio Capital Management LLC raised its position in ProQR Therapeutics by 1.0% during the second quarter. Sio Capital Management LLC now owns 2,075,139 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $4,233,000 after acquiring an additional 20,546 shares in the last quarter. 32.65% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PRQR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of ProQR Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Chardan Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $4.00 price objective on shares of ProQR Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of ProQR Therapeutics from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, ProQR Therapeutics presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $7.14.

About ProQR Therapeutics

ProQR Therapeutics N.V. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to developing RNA-based therapies for severe genetic diseases. Utilizing its proprietary Axiomer® RNA editing platform, ProQR aims to correct disease-causing mutations directly at the messenger RNA level. The company’s pipeline features several investigational candidates, including sepofarsen (formerly QR-110) for Leber congenital amaurosis type 10, QR-421a targeting Usher syndrome and certain forms of retinitis pigmentosa, and QR-313 for dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa.

Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Leiden, the Netherlands, ProQR maintains a significant presence in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to support its clinical research and regulatory initiatives.