Autolus Therapeutics plc (NASDAQ:AUTL) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Autolus Therapeutics plc (NASDAQ:AUTL) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 9,110,000 shares, a growth of 8.7% from the January 15th total of 8,380,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,710,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.3 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on AUTL. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Autolus Therapeutics from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $13.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $10.00 price target on shares of Autolus Therapeutics in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised Autolus Therapeutics from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $7.00 to $7.60 in a report on Monday, November 18th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $10.40.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Autolus Therapeutics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AUTL. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of Autolus Therapeutics by 35.4% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 24,220,226 shares of the company’s stock worth $87,919,000 after acquiring an additional 6,330,392 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its stake in Autolus Therapeutics by 44.6% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 17,773,873 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,519,000 after acquiring an additional 5,478,706 shares during the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. bought a new stake in Autolus Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $7,500,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Autolus Therapeutics by 145.3% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,284,708 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,663,000 after purchasing an additional 761,008 shares during the period. Finally, BIT Capital GmbH boosted its stake in shares of Autolus Therapeutics by 147.0% during the 4th quarter. BIT Capital GmbH now owns 636,979 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,497,000 after purchasing an additional 379,050 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 72.83% of the company’s stock.

Autolus Therapeutics Stock Up 5.2 %

Shares of AUTL traded up $0.10 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $2.04. 1,398,801 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,046,105. Autolus Therapeutics has a 52-week low of $1.87 and a 52-week high of $7.31. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $2.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3.27.

Autolus Therapeutics Company Profile

Autolus Therapeutics plc, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, develops T cell therapies for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. The company's clinical-stage programs include obecabtagene autoleucel (AUTO1), a CD19-targeting programmed T cell investigational therapy that is in Phase 1b/2 clinical trial for the treatment of adult ALL; AUTO1/22, which is in a Phase 1 clinical trial in pediatric patients with relapsed or refractory ALL; AUTO4, a programmed T cell investigational therapy for the treatment of peripheral T-cell lymphoma targeting TRBC1 and TRBC2; AUTO6NG, a programmed T cell investigational therapy targeting GD2 in development for the treatment of neuroblastoma; and AUTO8, a product candidate to treat multiple myeloma.