Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc (NASDAQ:CNTA) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc (NASDAQ:CNTA) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 5,460,000 shares, an increase of 31.6% from the February 13th total of 4,150,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 772,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 7.1 days. Currently, 6.9% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Karen M. Anderson sold 10,624 shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.32, for a total value of $184,007.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 71,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,238,813. This trade represents a 12.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, General Counsel Iqbal J. Hussain sold 6,000 shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.29, for a total value of $91,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 118,265 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,808,271.85. This trade represents a 4.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 275,605 shares of company stock valued at $4,643,570 in the last three months. Insiders own 11.59% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Centessa Pharmaceuticals

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new position in Centessa Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Centessa Pharmaceuticals by 29.1% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,837 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 865 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Centessa Pharmaceuticals by 1,414.9% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 5,302 shares of the company’s stock valued at $89,000 after purchasing an additional 4,952 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets acquired a new position in Centessa Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at about $162,000. Finally, OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp acquired a new position in Centessa Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at about $171,000. 82.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Centessa Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of CNTA opened at $17.14 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 21.52 and a quick ratio of 21.52. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $16.45 and a 200-day moving average of $16.31. The company has a market cap of $2.26 billion, a PE ratio of -11.20 and a beta of 1.54. Centessa Pharmaceuticals has a one year low of $7.75 and a one year high of $19.09.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Centessa Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $27.00 price objective on shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Centessa Pharmaceuticals currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $26.00.

About Centessa Pharmaceuticals

Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company, discovers, develops, and delivers medicines for patients. Its products pipeline includes SerpinPC, an activated protein C inhibitor for the treatment of hemophilia A and B; and ORX750, an orally administered OX2R agonist for the treatment of narcolepsy and other sleep disorders.