Centessa Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:CNTA) Reaches New 12-Month High - Still a Buy?

Shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc (NASDAQ:CNTA - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Saturday . The company traded as high as $18.77 and last traded at $18.67, with a volume of 690784 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $17.49.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on CNTA. Morgan Stanley raised Centessa Pharmaceuticals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the company from $11.00 to $26.00 in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $14.00 price target on shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Guggenheim raised their price target on Centessa Pharmaceuticals from $24.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Centessa Pharmaceuticals from $20.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Centessa Pharmaceuticals from $13.00 to $19.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $25.83.

Centessa Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 6.7 %

The business has a 50 day moving average of $16.41 and a 200 day moving average of $12.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.20 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 21.52 and a quick ratio of 21.52.

Centessa Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:CNTA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported ($0.37) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.05. As a group, research analysts predict that Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc will post -1.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Centessa Pharmaceuticals

In other Centessa Pharmaceuticals news, CEO Saurabh Saha sold 2,592 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.32, for a total value of $39,709.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 630,661 shares in the company, valued at $9,661,726.52. This represents a 0.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Gregory M. Weinhoff sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total value of $375,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 223,369 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,350,535. This trade represents a 10.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 462,624 shares of company stock valued at $7,763,698. Corporate insiders own 11.59% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Centessa Pharmaceuticals

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of CNTA. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals by 47.7% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,556 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 826 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals by 103.1% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,972 shares of the company's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 1,509 shares during the period. Quarry LP boosted its position in shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals by 47.8% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 9,608 shares of the company's stock worth $87,000 after buying an additional 3,108 shares during the period. Sandia Investment Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter worth about $90,000. Finally, Fred Alger Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter worth about $99,000. 82.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Centessa Pharmaceuticals

Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company, discovers, develops, and delivers medicines for patients. Its products pipeline includes SerpinPC, an activated protein C inhibitor for the treatment of hemophilia A and B; and ORX750, an orally administered OX2R agonist for the treatment of narcolepsy and other sleep disorders.