Capricor Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CAPR) Shares Gap Up on Analyst Upgrade

Capricor Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:CAPR) shares gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday after JonesTrading upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a buy rating. The stock had previously closed at $8.87, but opened at $9.65. JonesTrading now has a $25.00 price target on the stock. Capricor Therapeutics shares last traded at $9.8020, with a volume of 832,911 shares changing hands.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on CAPR. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded Capricor Therapeutics from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Maxim Group cut Capricor Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Alliance Global Partners cut shares of Capricor Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $7.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Capricor Therapeutics from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Capricor Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Capricor Therapeutics currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $29.77.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Capricor Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Montanova Capital LLC raised its position in Capricor Therapeutics by 7.2% during the second quarter. Montanova Capital LLC now owns 4,092,784 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $98,554,000 after acquiring an additional 274,184 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in shares of Capricor Therapeutics by 672.0% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 415,483 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $12,631,000 after purchasing an additional 361,664 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Capricor Therapeutics by 169.1% in the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 203,781 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,930,000 after purchasing an additional 128,067 shares during the period. Walleye Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Capricor Therapeutics in the 1st quarter valued at about $5,397,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in Capricor Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,895,000. 21.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Capricor Therapeutics Trading Down 8.7%

The firm has a market capitalization of $595.35 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.88 and a beta of 0.80. The company’s 50 day moving average is $8.10 and its 200-day moving average is $19.92.

Capricor Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CAPR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 10th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.73) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.44) by ($0.29). Research analysts expect that Capricor Therapeutics, Inc. will post -1.71 EPS for the current year.

About Capricor Therapeutics

Capricor Therapeutics is a biotechnology company developing cell- and exosome-based therapies for serious diseases. Its research focuses on using these technologies to address conditions with limited treatment options. The company’s leading program is deramiocel, also known as CAP-1002, an investigational therapy made from donor-derived cardiac cells. Capricor is developing it for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a rare genetic disorder that causes progressive muscle weakness. Capricor is also advancing an exosome-based technology platform for potential therapeutic applications.