Precision BioSciences (NASDAQ:DTIL) Rating Lowered to Sell at Wall Street Zen

Precision BioSciences (NASDAQ:DTIL) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on DTIL. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Precision BioSciences in a research report on Wednesday. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Precision BioSciences in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Oppenheimer began coverage on Precision BioSciences in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $20.00 target price for the company. Finally, JonesTrading reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $30.00 price target on shares of Precision BioSciences in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.25.

Precision BioSciences Price Performance

Shares of DTIL stock opened at $7.49 on Friday. Precision BioSciences has a 52-week low of $3.53 and a 52-week high of $9.62. The stock has a market cap of $206.72 million, a PE ratio of -2.67 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 12.82 and a current ratio of 12.82. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $7.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $6.35.

Precision BioSciences (NASDAQ:DTIL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported ($1.26) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.80) by ($0.46). Precision BioSciences had a negative return on equity of 72.52% and a negative net margin of 96.73%. As a group, analysts forecast that Precision BioSciences will post -2.6 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Precision BioSciences

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Precision BioSciences by 5.5% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 77,712 shares of the company’s stock worth $326,000 after buying an additional 4,025 shares during the period. Miller Financial Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Precision BioSciences by 50.0% in the 4th quarter. Miller Financial Services LLC now owns 15,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares in the last quarter. Lynx1 Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of Precision BioSciences by 0.6% during the third quarter. Lynx1 Capital Management LP now owns 1,042,596 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,755,000 after acquiring an additional 6,545 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its position in shares of Precision BioSciences by 15.1% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 68,311 shares of the company’s stock valued at $284,000 after buying an additional 8,936 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HBK Sorce Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Precision BioSciences during the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 37.99% of the company’s stock.

About Precision BioSciences

Precision BioSciences is a clinical‐stage genome editing company that leverages its proprietary ARCUS platform to develop targeted gene therapies. ARCUS, an engineered nuclease derived from a naturally occurring enzyme, enables precise DNA modifications for both in vivo and ex vivo applications. The company’s pipeline spans genetic diseases—including rare monogenic disorders—and immuno‐oncology, where it is advancing allogeneic cell therapy candidates designed to address hematologic malignancies and solid tumors.

Founded in 2006 as a spin‐out from research at the University of North Carolina, Precision BioSciences is headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, with additional research and manufacturing capabilities located in the Research Triangle Park area.