Zenas BioPharma (NASDAQ:ZBIO) Shares Gap Up – Should You Buy?

Shares of Zenas BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZBIO) gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $26.40, but opened at $29.17. Zenas BioPharma shares last traded at $26.42, with a volume of 224,448 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on ZBIO. Morgan Stanley downgraded Zenas BioPharma from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $37.00 to $19.00 in a research report on Monday, January 5th. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $44.00 target price on shares of Zenas BioPharma in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Evercore began coverage on Zenas BioPharma in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $55.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $48.00 price target on shares of Zenas BioPharma in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Zenas BioPharma from $27.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Zenas BioPharma has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.14.

Zenas BioPharma Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.82 and a beta of -1.50. The company’s 50 day moving average is $26.82 and its 200 day moving average is $25.88. The company has a quick ratio of 5.66, a current ratio of 5.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

Insider Transactions at Zenas BioPharma

In related news, CEO Leon O. Moulder, Jr. purchased 57,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were bought at an average price of $17.96 per share, for a total transaction of $1,023,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 423,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,599,863.80. This trade represents a 15.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Patricia L. Allen bought 15,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $24.85 per share, for a total transaction of $390,145.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 15,700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $390,145. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 202,845 shares of company stock valued at $3,747,185. 16.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Zenas BioPharma

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ZBIO. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in Zenas BioPharma by 41.2% during the 2nd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 9,179 shares of the company’s stock worth $89,000 after purchasing an additional 2,679 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Zenas BioPharma by 4.6% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 373,617 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,621,000 after buying an additional 16,461 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Zenas BioPharma by 13.9% during the second quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 13,206 shares of the company’s stock worth $128,000 after buying an additional 1,607 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in shares of Zenas BioPharma by 71.3% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 19,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $191,000 after buying an additional 8,207 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Zenas BioPharma by 60.8% in the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 1,861,838 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,041,000 after acquiring an additional 703,838 shares during the last quarter.

About Zenas BioPharma

Zenas BioPharma, Inc is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of novel therapies in oncology and infectious diseases. The company’s proprietary platform integrates structure-guided design, computational modeling and high-throughput screening to address challenging protein-protein interactions. Zenas BioPharma is advancing multiple preclinical and clinical-stage candidates aimed at providing new treatment options where current modalities may be limited by efficacy or safety concerns.

Founded in 2021 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Zenas BioPharma was built to streamline the drug discovery process from target identification through to IND-enabling studies.