Short Interest in Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATRA) Increases By 29.0%

Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATRA) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 706,500 shares, a growth of 29.0% from the January 15th total of 547,800 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 214,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.3 days. Currently, 18.9% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Atara Biotherapeutics Price Performance

NASDAQ:ATRA traded down $0.13 on Friday, reaching $8.59. 57,576 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 435,211. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $11.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.80. Atara Biotherapeutics has a 52 week low of $5.40 and a 52 week high of $23.44.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ATRA. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in Atara Biotherapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at $332,000. Birchview Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Atara Biotherapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at $293,000. Vestal Point Capital LP raised its stake in shares of Atara Biotherapeutics by 11.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vestal Point Capital LP now owns 124,677 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,014,000 after purchasing an additional 12,677 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp purchased a new stake in Atara Biotherapeutics during the 4th quarter worth about $149,000. Finally, Staley Capital Advisers Inc. boosted its stake in Atara Biotherapeutics by 25.0% in the 4th quarter. Staley Capital Advisers Inc. now owns 50,000 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $666,000 after purchasing an additional 10,000 shares during the period. 70.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ATRA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. RODMAN&RENSHAW cut Atara Biotherapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price target on shares of Atara Biotherapeutics from $21.00 to $17.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Rodman & Renshaw assumed coverage on shares of Atara Biotherapeutics in a report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $25.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Atara Biotherapeutics to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 29th. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Atara Biotherapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Atara Biotherapeutics currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $17.75.

About Atara Biotherapeutics

Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc engages in the development of transformative therapies for patients with solid tumors, hematologic cancers, and autoimmune diseases in the United States and the United Kingdom. Its lead product includes Tab-cel (tabelecleucel), a T-cell immunotherapy program that is in Phase 3 clinical trials for the treatment of epstein-barr virus (EBV) driven post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease, as well as nasopharyngeal carcinoma.