Rocket Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:RCKT) Trading Down 4.4% – Here’s Why
by Michael Walen · The Markets DailyRocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:RCKT – Get Free Report)’s share price fell 4.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $4.63 and last traded at $4.6550. 1,022,204 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 60% from the average session volume of 2,528,655 shares. The stock had previously closed at $4.87.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Rocket Pharmaceuticals to $3.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. TD Cowen upgraded Rocket Pharmaceuticals to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley set a $5.00 price objective on Rocket Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on Rocket Pharmaceuticals from $8.00 to $10.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Rocket Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, March 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $13.79.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on RCKT
Rocket Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 1.3%
The stock has a market cap of $479.23 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.20 and a beta of 0.39. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $3.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 6.38 and a quick ratio of 6.38.
Rocket Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:RCKT – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.38) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.42) by $0.04. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.62) earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -2.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, General Counsel Martin Wilson sold 12,253 shares of Rocket Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.31, for a total transaction of $40,557.43. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 683,376 shares in the company, valued at $2,261,974.56. This trade represents a 1.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gaurav Shah sold 12,279 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.31, for a total value of $40,643.49. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,052,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,482,268.95. This represents a 1.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 29,415 shares of company stock valued at $97,398 in the last 90 days. 24.76% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rocket Pharmaceuticals
A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of RCKT. Prudential Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Rocket Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its holdings in Rocket Pharmaceuticals by 94.4% during the second quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 12,202 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 5,926 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. bought a new stake in Rocket Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in Rocket Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Rocket Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. 98.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
About Rocket Pharmaceuticals
Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing gene therapies for rare, inherited pediatric diseases. The company employs a proprietary adeno-associated virus (AAV) and lentiviral vector platform to deliver functional copies of genes in patients with genetic deficiencies. Its programs target a spectrum of disorders, including Fanconi anemia, leukocyte adhesion deficiency type I and Danon disease, with the goal of delivering one-time treatments that address the underlying causes of disease rather than merely managing symptoms.
The company’s pipeline comprises multiple product candidates in various stages of development.