Geron (NASDAQ:GERN) Shares Up 7.3% – What’s Next?

Geron Corporation (NASDAQ:GERN) shares were up 7.3% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $1.7493 and last traded at $1.77. Approximately 4,063,418 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 66% from the average daily volume of 12,097,776 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1.65.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Geron in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Geron in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price target on Geron from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Geron in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Geron in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Geron has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $2.75.

Geron Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 5.96 and a quick ratio of 4.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -16.00 and a beta of 0.62. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $1.43 and a 200-day moving average price of $1.34.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Geron

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GERN. 55 North Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Geron during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. LCM Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Geron by 80.6% during the fourth quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc now owns 22,400 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 10,000 shares in the last quarter. Vistica Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Geron in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Geron by 3,307.6% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 25,148 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 24,410 shares during the period. Finally, Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Geron by 73.6% in the third quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 26,371 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 11,182 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.71% of the company’s stock.

Geron Company Profile

Geron Corporation (NASDAQ: GERN) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to developing and commercializing novel treatments that target telomerase, an enzyme critical to cancer cell immortality. The company’s research is focused on hematologic malignancies and solid tumors, with a pipeline designed to address diseases that have historically had limited therapeutic options.

The lead product candidate, imetelstat, is a first-in-class telomerase inhibitor currently in Phase II and Phase III clinical trials for myelofibrosis and myelodysplastic syndromes.