Short Interest in Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRIS) Grows By 148.9%

Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRIS) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of August. As of August 14th, there was short interest totaling 324,276 shares, an increase of 148.9% from the July 30th total of 130,308 shares. Currently, 16.5% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 481,898 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.7 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Curis in a report on Friday, July 17th. Zacks Research downgraded Curis from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen raised Curis from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 22nd. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating on shares of Curis in a report on Monday, August 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $43.00.

Curis Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ CRIS opened at $1.51 on Friday. Curis has a twelve month low of $1.40 and a twelve month high of $39.00. The stock has a market cap of $3.16 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.11 and a beta of 3.13. The company’s fifty day moving average is $4.60 and its 200-day moving average is $10.62.

Curis (NASDAQ:CRIS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 14th. The biotechnology company reported ($4.02) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($6.95) by $2.93. Curis had a negative net margin of 80.29% and a negative return on equity of 2,365.94%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Curis will post -24.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Curis

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Flputnam Investment Management Co. bought a new stake in Curis during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $128,000. Nantahala Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Curis in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,033,171,000. Stonepine Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Curis in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,729,292,000. Cable Car Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Curis during the second quarter worth $696,000. Finally, BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Curis during the second quarter worth $28,000. Institutional investors own 29.97% of the company’s stock.

Curis Company Profile

Curis, Inc is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of targeted small molecule and antibody therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. The company’s research centers on exploiting key signaling pathways and tumor microenvironment interactions to develop compounds with the potential to address unmet medical needs. Curis’ proprietary pipeline includes multiple programs at various stages of clinical and preclinical development, reflecting its emphasis on innovative oncology drug candidates.

Among Curis’ lead assets is CA-4948, an oral inhibitor of interleukin-1 receptor–associated kinase 4 (IRAK4) partnered with Ikena Oncology, which is being evaluated in hematologic malignancies and solid tumors.