Benitec Biopharma Inc. (NASDAQ:BNTC) Short Interest Down 10.2% in September

Benitec Biopharma Inc. (NASDAQ:BNTC) saw a significant decrease in short interest in September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 53,100 shares, a decrease of 10.2% from the September 15th total of 59,100 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 26,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.0 days.

Institutional Trading of Benitec Biopharma

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BNTC. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Benitec Biopharma by 35.5% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 244,491 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,266,000 after purchasing an additional 64,092 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Benitec Biopharma by 53.0% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,438 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 1,884 shares during the period. Simplify Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Benitec Biopharma during the 2nd quarter valued at about $358,000. Finally, Nantahala Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Benitec Biopharma during the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,881,000. Institutional investors own 52.19% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Leerink Partnrs raised Benitec Biopharma to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Leerink Partners started coverage on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a report on Monday, July 22nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $13.00 target price on the stock. JMP Securities increased their price target on shares of Benitec Biopharma from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a research note on Wednesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $35.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Guggenheim started coverage on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $17.00 target price for the company. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $22.60.

Benitec Biopharma Price Performance

Shares of BNTC remained flat at $9.81 on Wednesday. 34,532 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 46,717. Benitec Biopharma has a 12 month low of $2.69 and a 12 month high of $12.89. The stock has a market cap of $91.90 million, a P/E ratio of -5.14 and a beta of 0.90. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $9.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $8.32.

About Benitec Biopharma

Benitec Biopharma Inc, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, focuses on the development of novel genetic medicines. The company develops DNA-directed RNA interference-based therapeutics for chronic and life-threatening human conditions. It is developing BB-301, an adeno-associated virus based gene therapy agent for treating oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy.