Short Interest in Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRIS) Increases By 1,242.5%

Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRIS) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of June. As of June 30th, there was short interest totaling 3,515,828 shares, a growth of 1,242.5% from the June 15th total of 261,877 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 17,237,537 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.2 days. Currently, 191.5% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Curis Price Performance

Shares of Curis stock remained flat at $4.96 on Friday. The stock had a trading volume of 61,495 shares, compared to its average volume of 477,057. Curis has a 12-month low of $3.61 and a 12-month high of $40.28. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $8.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $14.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.67 million, a PE ratio of -0.21 and a beta of 3.08.

Curis (NASDAQ:CRIS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 12th. The biotechnology company reported ($25.00) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($6.53) by ($18.47). As a group, analysts anticipate that Curis will post -25.5 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Curis

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CRIS. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in shares of Curis by 2,883,237.5% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 230,667 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $228,000 after purchasing an additional 230,659 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in Curis by 52.2% in the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 366,740 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $201,000 after purchasing an additional 125,823 shares in the last quarter. Armistice Capital LLC grew its position in Curis by 8.7% in the 3rd quarter. Armistice Capital LLC now owns 978,190 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,624,000 after purchasing an additional 78,265 shares in the last quarter. Focused Wealth Management Inc grew its position in Curis by 83.4% in the 1st quarter. Focused Wealth Management Inc now owns 109,746 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 49,900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Maverick Capital Ltd. increased its stake in Curis by 7.8% in the 2nd quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. now owns 681,381 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,472,000 after buying an additional 49,554 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 29.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on CRIS shares. Wall Street Zen raised Curis to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and set a $340.00 price target on shares of Curis in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Curis from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Curis in a research note on Monday, April 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $340.00.

Curis Company Profile

Curis, Inc is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of targeted small molecule and antibody therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. The company’s research centers on exploiting key signaling pathways and tumor microenvironment interactions to develop compounds with the potential to address unmet medical needs. Curis’ proprietary pipeline includes multiple programs at various stages of clinical and preclinical development, reflecting its emphasis on innovative oncology drug candidates.

Among Curis’ lead assets is CA-4948, an oral inhibitor of interleukin-1 receptor–associated kinase 4 (IRAK4) partnered with Ikena Oncology, which is being evaluated in hematologic malignancies and solid tumors.