KalVista Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:KALV) Upgraded to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:KALV) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Saturday morning.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on KALV. Citizens Jmp cut their target price on shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on KalVista Pharmaceuticals from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on KalVista Pharmaceuticals from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $32.60.

KalVista Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:KALV opened at $19.33 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $16.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $14.46. KalVista Pharmaceuticals has a fifty-two week low of $9.23 and a fifty-two week high of $19.95. The company has a market capitalization of $990.08 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.89 and a beta of -0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.18, a current ratio of 7.22 and a quick ratio of 7.21.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other KalVista Pharmaceuticals news, CFO Brian Piekos sold 1,767 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.57, for a total value of $27,512.19. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,762 shares in the company, valued at approximately $214,274.34. The trade was a 11.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Paul K. Audhya sold 5,354 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.57, for a total value of $83,361.78. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 138,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,163,965.31. This trade represents a 3.71% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 248,009 shares of company stock worth $4,213,467 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of KalVista Pharmaceuticals

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KALV. AQR Capital Management LLC bought a new position in KalVista Pharmaceuticals in the first quarter valued at approximately $646,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals by 13.7% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 24,325 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $281,000 after purchasing an additional 2,939 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 339,936 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $3,923,000 after purchasing an additional 12,263 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 941,212 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $10,642,000 after buying an additional 25,971 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey boosted its holdings in shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals by 26.8% in the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 9,756 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $110,000 after buying an additional 2,061 shares during the last quarter.

KalVista Pharmaceuticals News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting KalVista Pharmaceuticals this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusual bullish options flow: traders bought 5,072 call options (≈569% above the average of 758), suggesting speculative or hedged bullish positioning that can amplify near-term upside interest in the shares.
• Positive Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus raised its price target to $42 and reiterated a “buy” rating — a large upside vs. the current level that often attracts renewed investor attention and buying. Stifel price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: Needham & Company increased its target to $36 and kept a “buy” rating, reinforcing analyst conviction from multiple firms. Needham target raise
• Positive Sentiment: EKTERLY commercial launch showing strong initial revenue: KalVista reported $49.1M in EKTERLY revenue during an eight-month transition period — a material commercial proof point that supports revenue growth expectations. EKTERLY revenue report
• Positive Sentiment: Stock hit a new 52-week high after analyst upgrades and increased coverage, a technical signal that can attract momentum buyers. 52-week high / analyst upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent earnings materials (Q1 2025 call summary and transcript) have been published — useful for revisiting guidance and management commentary but the market reaction depends on details and forward guidance. Q1 2025 earnings call summary
• Negative Sentiment: Citizens Jmp trimmed its price target slightly from $29 to $28 (still a “market outperform”), a modest downtick in one analyst’s view that could temper upside expectations if other firms follow. Citizens Jmp target change

KalVista Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

KalVista Pharmaceuticals is a clinical‐stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of small‐molecule protease inhibitors for orphan and specialty disease indications. The firm’s scientific platform centers on selective inhibition of plasma kallikrein, a serine protease implicated in disorders characterized by vascular leak, edema and inflammation. KalVista’s approach leverages oral and intravitreal delivery formats to target both systemic and ophthalmic conditions.

The company’s lead programs include an oral plasma kallikrein inhibitor in clinical trials for the acute treatment of hereditary angioedema (HAE) attacks and an intravitreal kallikrein inhibitor being evaluated for diabetic macular edema.