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

Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc (NASDAQ:CNTA) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,150,000 shares, an increase of 36.1% from the January 31st total of 3,050,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 723,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.7 days. Currently, 5.2% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, General Counsel Iqbal J. Hussain sold 6,000 shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.29, for a total transaction of $91,740.00. Following the sale, the general counsel now directly owns 118,265 shares in the company, valued at $1,808,271.85. This trade represents a 4.83 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Saurabh Saha sold 55,000 shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.93, for a total transaction of $876,150.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 331,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,273,100.81. This represents a 14.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 446,682 shares of company stock worth $7,632,282 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 11.59% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Centessa Pharmaceuticals

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals by 14.6% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,364,392 shares of the company’s stock valued at $89,854,000 after acquiring an additional 685,371 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its stake in shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals by 22.0% in the 4th quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 5,119,027 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,744,000 after acquiring an additional 924,027 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals by 279.2% in the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,909,487 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,218,000 after acquiring an additional 3,614,623 shares in the last quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals by 24.3% in the 4th quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 3,498,709 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,603,000 after acquiring an additional 684,391 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals by 26.2% in the 4th quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 3,426,599 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,396,000 after acquiring an additional 710,936 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.01% of the company’s stock.

Centessa Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CNTA opened at $15.04 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $16.51 and a 200-day moving average of $16.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.98 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.83 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a quick ratio of 21.52, a current ratio of 21.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. Centessa Pharmaceuticals has a twelve month low of $7.75 and a twelve month high of $19.09.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday, February 10th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $25.83.

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.