Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:ARCT) experienced a noteworthy surge in short interest throughout December. By December 31st, the short interest amounted to 4,820,000 shares, reflecting an 8.6% increase from the previous total of 4,440,000 shares recorded on December 15th. Currently, approximately 19.6% of the company’s shares are sold short. Looking at the average daily trading volume of 400,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio has reached 12.0 days.

Investments in Arcturus Therapeutics

Institutional Investors Adjust Their Positions

Recent changes among large investors concerning their stakes in Arcturus Therapeutics have come to light. Notably, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its investment in the biotech firm by 54.6% during the third quarter, now owning 103,936 shares valued at $2,412,000 after acquiring an additional 36,714 shares. Similarly, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its holdings in Arcturus by 45.6% in the same quarter, now possessing 2,275,715 shares valued at $52,819,000, following the purchase of 712,650 additional shares. Additionally, Empire Life Investments Inc. entered a new position worth $3,498,000 in the third quarter. XTX Topco Ltd made a new investment valued at $596,000, and Squarepoint Ops LLC also acquired a new stake worth $718,000 during the second quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 94.54% of the company’s stock.

Recent Trading Activity

As of the latest trading session, NASDAQ ARCT opened at $16.79, with its fifty-day moving average at $17.46 and a two-hundred-day moving average of $19.85. The company has recorded a fifty-two week low of $14.30 and a high of $45.00.

Arcturus Therapeutics released its quarterly earnings data on November 7th. The company reported an earnings loss of ($0.26) per share, surpassing analysts' expectations which were set at a loss of ($0.70) by $0.44. It suffered a negative return on equity of 22.39% and a negative net margin of 36.39%. The revenue for the quarter stood at $41.67 million compared to the forecast of $49.16 million. This time last year, the company reported an earnings loss of ($0.61) per share. Analysts are projecting an average earnings forecast of -2.31 per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts' Predictions and Ratings

Arcturus Therapeutics has been a topic of interest among several research analysts. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating while establishing a target price of $63.00 for the shares on January 13th. Similarly, Cantor Fitzgerald maintained an "overweight" rating in their report dated December 16th. Currently, six investment analysts recommend the stock as a buy and one has assigned a strong buy rating. MarketBeat data indicates a consensus recommendation of "Buy" with an average target price of $66.75.

Understanding Arcturus Therapeutics

Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. operates as a late-stage clinical company specializing in messenger RNA medicines and vaccines. The company is focused on developing vaccines for infectious diseases and treatments for rare liver and respiratory conditions. Its range of technology includes the LUNAR lipid-mediated delivery system and STARR mRNA technology.

Arcturus, Stocks, ShortInterest