Benitec Biopharma Inc. (NASDAQ:BNTC) Short Interest Update

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

Benitec Biopharma Stock Performance

Benitec Biopharma stock traded down $0.38 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $9.78. The company had a trading volume of 37,672 shares, compared to its average volume of 46,763. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $9.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $8.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $91.62 million, a PE ratio of -5.32 and a beta of 0.90. Benitec Biopharma has a 1-year low of $2.69 and a 1-year high of $12.89.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on BNTC. JMP Securities lifted their price objective on Benitec Biopharma from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Leerink Partnrs upgraded Benitec Biopharma to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Leerink Partners began coverage on Benitec Biopharma in a report on Monday, July 22nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $13.00 price target for the company. 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 price objective on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $19.50.

Institutional Trading of Benitec Biopharma

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Benitec Biopharma by 20.3% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,540 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 1,102 shares in the last quarter. Simplify Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Benitec Biopharma during the second quarter valued at approximately $358,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in shares of Benitec Biopharma by 35.5% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 244,491 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,266,000 after acquiring an additional 64,092 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nantahala Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Benitec Biopharma in the second quarter worth approximately $5,881,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 52.19% of the company’s stock.

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.