Wall Street Zen Upgrades Keros Therapeutics (NASDAQ:KROS) to “Sell”

Keros Therapeutics (NASDAQ:KROS) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Keros Therapeutics from $20.00 to $18.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Keros Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 price objective on shares of Keros Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Leerink Partners decreased their price objective on Keros Therapeutics from $30.00 to $23.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Keros Therapeutics from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Keros Therapeutics currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $20.50.

Keros Therapeutics Price Performance

NASDAQ KROS opened at $11.95 on Friday. Keros Therapeutics has a 12-month low of $9.69 and a 12-month high of $22.55. The company has a market capitalization of $236.97 million, a PE ratio of -3.23 and a beta of 1.12. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $11.10 and its 200-day moving average is $11.05.

Keros Therapeutics (NASDAQ:KROS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The company reported ($1.45) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.34) by ($0.11). Keros Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 21.40% and a negative net margin of 256.60%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Keros Therapeutics will post -5.27 EPS for the current year.

Keros Therapeutics declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, September 9th that permits the company to buy back $5.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 2.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Keros Therapeutics

In other news, insider Lorena Raquel Lerner sold 3,568 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.29, for a total value of $36,714.72. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 27,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $283,582.11. This represents a 11.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 5,343 shares of company stock worth $54,985. 12.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Keros Therapeutics

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in shares of Keros Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,521,000. Nantahala Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Keros Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $15,091,483. ADAR1 Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Keros Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,641,000. Man Group plc bought a new stake in Keros Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,664,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Keros Therapeutics by 453.9% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 321,360 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,547,000 after acquiring an additional 263,347 shares during the period. 71.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Keros Therapeutics

Keros Therapeutics, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies that regulate signaling within the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) superfamily. These biological pathways influence blood-cell production, bone health, muscle growth and cardiovascular function, and may play a role in several serious diseases.

The company’s investigational portfolio has included elritercept (KER-050), an engineered ligand trap designed to enhance red blood cell production and address anemia associated with conditions such as myelodysplastic syndromes and myelofibrosis.