Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLRX – Get Free Report) shares gapped down before the market opened on Monday after HC Wainwright lowered their price target on the stock from $52.00 to $48.00. The stock had previously closed at $17.40, but opened at $16.77. HC Wainwright currently has a buy rating on the stock. Pliant Therapeutics shares last traded at $13.84, with a volume of 478,554 shares changing hands.
A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on PLRX. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Pliant Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, December 8th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $41.00 price target on the stock. Leerink Partnrs reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Pliant Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, October 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Pliant Therapeutics from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 10th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $49.20.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other Pliant Therapeutics news, insider Hans Hull sold 9,786 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.23, for a total transaction of $168,612.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 185,069 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,188,738.87. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider Hans Hull sold 9,786 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.23, for a total value of $168,612.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 185,069 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,188,738.87. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Bernard Coulie sold 25,721 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.23, for a total value of $443,172.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 316,382 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,451,261.86. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 50,485 shares of company stock worth $869,857. Corporate insiders own 5.60% of the company’s stock.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pliant Therapeutics
Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PLRX. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Pliant Therapeutics by 97.3% in the 3rd quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,529 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 754 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Pliant Therapeutics in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. UBS Group AG lifted its stake in Pliant Therapeutics by 18.4% in the 2nd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 3,537 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 550 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in Pliant Therapeutics by 144.3% during the second quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,150 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in Pliant Therapeutics by 271.6% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,449 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 1,790 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.30% of the company’s stock.
Pliant Therapeutics Price Performance
The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $16.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $16.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 19.50 and a quick ratio of 19.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $837.40 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.72 and a beta of 1.19.
Pliant Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PLRX – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 9th. The company reported ($0.70) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.78) by $0.08. Pliant Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 2,872.79% and a negative return on equity of 32.50%. Research analysts forecast that Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. will post -2.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
About Pliant Therapeutics
Pliant Therapeutics, Inc, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, discovers, develops, and commercializes novel therapies for the treatment of fibrosis and related diseases in the United States. The company’s lead candidate is bexotegrast, an oral, small-molecule, dual selective inhibitor of avß6 and avß1 integrins, which is in three Phase IIa trials for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis.