Aura Biosciences (NASDAQ:AURA) Price Target Lowered to $18.00 at HC Wainwright

Aura Biosciences (NASDAQ:AURA) had its price target cut by equities research analysts at HC Wainwright from $24.00 to $18.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. HC Wainwright’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 131.10% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on AURA. Weiss Ratings upgraded Aura Biosciences from a “sell (e+)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Aura Biosciences from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Leerink Partners set a $17.00 price objective on shares of Aura Biosciences in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Aura Biosciences has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $17.50.

Aura Biosciences Trading Up 1.2%

Aura Biosciences stock traded up $0.09 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $7.79. The stock had a trading volume of 373,203 shares, compared to its average volume of 428,770. Aura Biosciences has a 52-week low of $4.73 and a 52-week high of $9.53. The company has a market capitalization of $805.69 million, a PE ratio of -4.43 and a beta of 0.40. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $6.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $6.69.

Aura Biosciences (NASDAQ:AURA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 11th. The company reported ($0.48) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.38) by ($0.10). As a group, equities research analysts predict that Aura Biosciences will post -1.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aura Biosciences

In related news, insider Anthony S. Gibney sold 12,824 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $6.42, for a total value of $82,330.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 265,354 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,703,572.68. This trade represents a 4.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Company insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aura Biosciences

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Aura Biosciences in the 2nd quarter worth about $33,424,000. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new position in Aura Biosciences in the second quarter worth about $297,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in Aura Biosciences in the second quarter worth about $842,000. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its stake in Aura Biosciences by 130.4% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 5,665 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 3,206 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its stake in Aura Biosciences by 150.3% during the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 91,075 shares of the company’s stock worth $609,000 after acquiring an additional 54,694 shares during the last quarter. 96.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Aura Biosciences

Aura Biosciences is a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel virus‐like particle (VLP) therapies for the treatment of cancer. By combining proprietary VLP technology with photoactivatable dyes, Aura aims to deliver highly selective photodynamic therapies that target and destroy tumor cells while sparing healthy tissue. The company’s platform is designed to address solid tumors in both ophthalmic and non‐ophthalmic settings, leveraging precision activation via near‐infrared light to induce localized tumor cell apoptosis and stimulate anti‐tumor immune responses.

The lead product candidate, AU-011, is being evaluated in patients with choroidal melanoma, a rare but potentially sight-threatening eye cancer.