Short Interest in Candel Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:CADL) Expands By 39.7%

Candel Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:CADL) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 12,985,515 shares, an increase of 39.7% from the February 12th total of 9,295,851 shares. Approximately 28.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,921,439 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 6.8 days. Based on an average trading volume of 1,921,439 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 6.8 days. Approximately 28.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

More Candel Therapeutics News

Here are the key news stories impacting Candel Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Canaccord Genuity reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $25.00 price target (~435% upside vs. the current $4.67), supporting bullish sentiment and potential buying interest. Canaccord Genuity Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup kept a “buy” rating while trimming its price target to $22.00 (still ~371% upside), which can lend confidence to momentum investors despite the lower PT. Citigroup Price Target Cut
• Positive Sentiment: Company update: Candel outlined progress advancing its lead cancer immunotherapy toward potential commercialization, announced planned Phase 3 trials and a regulatory filing timeline, and described actions to strengthen the balance sheet—news that supports long-term value drivers. Corporate Update & Balance Sheet
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data in recent feeds shows zero shares and NaN changes (likely a reporting anomaly); this makes it hard to read short-seller pressure from public data today. (No reliable short-interest link available.)
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 earnings miss: Candel reported ($0.54) EPS vs. consensus ($0.24) loss, a material miss that likely triggered selling by near-term traders concerned about cash burn and near-term execution. Q4 Earnings Release
• Negative Sentiment: Debt covenant risk: An analyst note flagged restrictive covenants in the RTW purchase agreement that could limit financial flexibility and raise default risk—this increases investor concern about financing options and downside risk. RTW Covenant Risk Note

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on CADL shares. Wall Street Zen cut Candel Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, November 15th. Zacks Research raised shares of Candel Therapeutics from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Candel Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $25.00 price target on shares of Candel Therapeutics in a report on Friday. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $15.00 price target on shares of Candel Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, December 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $18.00.

Candel Therapeutics Stock Down 6.2%

NASDAQ:CADL traded down $0.31 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $4.67. The stock had a trading volume of 1,362,344 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,584,867. The company has a current ratio of 8.25, a quick ratio of 8.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Candel Therapeutics has a twelve month low of $4.25 and a twelve month high of $9.08. The company has a market capitalization of $256.38 million, a PE ratio of -6.58 and a beta of -0.91. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $5.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $5.43.

Candel Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CADL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 12th. The company reported ($0.54) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.24) by ($0.30). On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Candel Therapeutics will post -1.47 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Candel Therapeutics

In other news, Director Paul B. Manning purchased 550,458 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $5.45 per share, for a total transaction of $2,999,996.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,763,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,061,222.15. This trade represents a 24.87% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 16.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in Candel Therapeutics by 128.2% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 7,901 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 4,439 shares during the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Candel Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in Candel Therapeutics by 361.7% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 9,608 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 7,527 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. acquired a new stake in Candel Therapeutics during the first quarter worth approximately $59,000. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Candel Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $59,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.93% of the company’s stock.

Candel Therapeutics Company Profile

Candel Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CADL) is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company focused on the development of next-generation oncolytic viral therapies designed to treat solid tumors. The company’s lead candidate, CAN-2409, is a locally administered, gene-delivered viral therapy engineered to selectively replicate in cancer cells and induce immunogenic cell death. Candel leverages proprietary virus engineering platforms to enhance tumor-specific replication and stimulate anti-tumor immune responses, aiming to improve outcomes for patients with high unmet medical needs.

In addition to its lead program, Candel’s pipeline includes CAN-3110, an oncolytic herpes simplex virus targeting recurrent high-grade glioma, and other novel viral constructs being explored for a variety of solid tumor indications.