Assembly Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASMB) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

Assembly Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASMB - Get Free Report) saw a significant decline in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 17,100 shares, a decline of 17.4% from the March 15th total of 20,700 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 28,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.6 days. Currently, 0.4% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Guggenheim started coverage on Assembly Biosciences in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $31.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Assembly Biosciences from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Assembly Biosciences in a research note on Monday, March 24th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Assembly Biosciences

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Gilead Sciences Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Assembly Biosciences in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,865,000. Peapod Lane Capital LLC bought a new stake in Assembly Biosciences in the fourth quarter worth $994,000. B Group Inc. purchased a new position in Assembly Biosciences during the fourth quarter worth $799,000. Monimus Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Assembly Biosciences during the fourth quarter worth $664,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in Assembly Biosciences by 44.3% during the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 94,711 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,495,000 after acquiring an additional 29,087 shares during the last quarter. 19.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Assembly Biosciences Stock Up 1.2 %

Assembly Biosciences stock traded up $0.12 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $10.53. 15,021 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 25,666. Assembly Biosciences has a 12 month low of $7.75 and a 12 month high of $19.93. The stock's fifty day moving average is $10.73 and its 200-day moving average is $13.96. The stock has a market cap of $79.01 million, a P/E ratio of -1.57 and a beta of 0.65.

Assembly Biosciences (NASDAQ:ASMB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 20th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.57) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.75) by $0.18. Assembly Biosciences had a negative net margin of 144.05% and a negative return on equity of 121.46%. The company had revenue of $7.36 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.05 million. On average, equities analysts predict that Assembly Biosciences will post -6.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Assembly Biosciences

Assembly Biosciences, Inc, a biotechnology company, develops therapeutic candidates for the treatment of viral diseases. It develops ABI-5366, a long-acting herpes simplex virus (HSV) helicase-primase inhibitor that is in Phase 1a/1b clinical trial to treat recurrent genital herpes; ABI-1179, which is in Phase 1a/1b clinical trial for the treatment of recurrent genital herpes; and ABI-6250, a small molecule orally bioavailable hepatitis delta virus entry inhibitor that is in Phase 1a clinical trial.