Rocket Pharmaceuticals’ (RCKT) “Outperform” Rating Reiterated at Wedbush
by Kim Johansen · The Markets DailyRocket Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:RCKT – Get Free Report)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reaffirmed by research analysts at Wedbush in a research report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $15.00 target price on the biotechnology company’s stock. Wedbush’s target price indicates a potential upside of 339.88% from the stock’s previous close.
A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on RCKT. Chardan Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $11.00 target price on shares of Rocket Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings lowered Rocket Pharmaceuticals from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (e+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Rocket Pharmaceuticals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC raised shares of Rocket Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $9.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Rocket Pharmaceuticals presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $8.62.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on RCKT
Rocket Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance
Shares of NASDAQ:RCKT opened at $3.41 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $3.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3.63. The company has a quick ratio of 9.24, a current ratio of 9.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $374.35 million, a P/E ratio of -20.06 and a beta of 0.50. Rocket Pharmaceuticals has a 52 week low of $2.53 and a 52 week high of $5.45.
Rocket Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:RCKT – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The biotechnology company reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.86 by $0.22. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.62) EPS. On average, analysts expect that Rocket Pharmaceuticals will post -1.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Insider Activity at Rocket Pharmaceuticals
In related news, COO Christopher Stevens sold 36,658 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.50, for a total transaction of $128,303.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 505,784 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,770,244. This trade represents a 6.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, General Counsel Martin Wilson sold 75,364 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.40, for a total value of $256,237.60. Following the transaction, the general counsel owned 598,489 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,034,862.60. The trade was a 11.18% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 125,977 shares of company stock worth $432,273. Company insiders own 21.30% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Trading of Rocket Pharmaceuticals
Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Rocket Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,940,000. Monaco Asset Management SAM bought a new position in shares of Rocket Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter valued at approximately $8,483,000. Maverick Capital Ltd. increased its holdings in Rocket Pharmaceuticals by 42.0% during the first quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. now owns 3,567,372 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $12,771,000 after buying an additional 1,054,262 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in Rocket Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,512,000. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC bought a new position in Rocket Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter worth approximately $1,506,000. 98.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Key Stories Impacting Rocket Pharmaceuticals
Here are the key news stories impacting Rocket Pharmaceuticals this week:
- Positive Sentiment: The FDA aligned with Rocket Pharmaceuticals on continued enrollment and dosing in the pivotal Phase 2 trial of RP-A501 for Danon disease. Agreement on the recalibrated dose and other key trial elements reduces regulatory uncertainty and supports progress toward potentially important clinical data. Rocket Pharmaceuticals Announces FDA Alignment on Path to Complete Pivotal Phase 2 Trial of RP-A501 in Danon Disease
- Positive Sentiment: Chardan Capital reaffirmed its Buy rating and set an $11 price target, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. This reflects continued analyst confidence in Rocket’s gene-therapy pipeline and the RP-A501 program. Chardan Capital rating update
- Positive Sentiment: Institutional ownership activity was generally constructive in the second quarter. Opaleye Management, Squarepoint Ops and Corient Private Wealth increased their positions, while Wellington Management and HB Wealth Management initiated stakes. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own approximately 98.39% of the shares.
- Neutral Sentiment: Rocket presented at the Morgan Stanley 24th Annual Global Healthcare Conference, giving investors an opportunity to evaluate management’s development strategy and clinical pipeline. Morgan Stanley Healthcare Conference transcript
- Neutral Sentiment: Despite the bullish Chardan view, the broader analyst consensus remains Hold, with an average price target of $8.57 and a mix of Buy, Hold and Sell ratings.
- Negative Sentiment: General Counsel Martin Wilson sold 75,364 shares worth approximately $256,238, reducing his ownership by 11.18%. The company said the sale covered tax-withholding obligations tied to vested equity awards, making it less concerning than a discretionary sale, but it may still weigh on sentiment.
Rocket Pharmaceuticals Company Profile
Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc is a biotechnology company focused on developing gene therapies for rare and devastating diseases. The company uses lentiviral and adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector platforms to deliver genetic material intended to address the underlying causes of inherited disorders, with research programs spanning hematology, immunology, metabolic disease and cardiac conditions.
Rocket’s pipeline has included RP-L102 for Fanconi anemia, a rare inherited bone marrow failure disorder; RP-L201 for leukocyte adhesion deficiency-I, an immune-system disorder; and RP-L301 for pyruvate kinase deficiency, a rare red blood cell disorder.
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