KalVista Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:KALV) Sets New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

KalVista Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:KALV) hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $26.85 and last traded at $26.8050, with a volume of 586137 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $26.73.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KALV has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on KalVista Pharmaceuticals from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Needham & Company LLC cut shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Citizens Jmp cut shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Leerink Partners downgraded shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $30.60.

KalVista Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 0.1%

The company has a current ratio of 7.22, a quick ratio of 7.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.18. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $20.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $16.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.37 billion, a PE ratio of -6.77 and a beta of -0.12.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Nicole Sweeny sold 1,862 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.22, for a total transaction of $37,649.64. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 51,391 shares in the company, valued at $1,039,126.02. The trade was a 3.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, major shareholder Venrock Healthcare Capital Par sold 39,986 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.28, for a total transaction of $730,944.08. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 5,089,354 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $93,033,391.12. The trade was a 0.78% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 263,937 shares of company stock valued at $4,572,251. Corporate insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of KalVista Pharmaceuticals

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in KalVista Pharmaceuticals by 45.8% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,876 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 589 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals by 47.0% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,041 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 1,292 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank purchased a new stake in shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth $55,000. Wolverine Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth $57,000. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth $63,000.

About KalVista Pharmaceuticals

KalVista Pharmaceuticals is a clinical‐stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of small‐molecule protease inhibitors for orphan and specialty disease indications. The firm’s scientific platform centers on selective inhibition of plasma kallikrein, a serine protease implicated in disorders characterized by vascular leak, edema and inflammation. KalVista’s approach leverages oral and intravitreal delivery formats to target both systemic and ophthalmic conditions.

The company’s lead programs include an oral plasma kallikrein inhibitor in clinical trials for the acute treatment of hereditary angioedema (HAE) attacks and an intravitreal kallikrein inhibitor being evaluated for diabetic macular edema.