XOMA Co. (NASDAQ:XOMA) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

XOMA Co. (NASDAQ:XOMA - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 139,000 shares, a growth of 23.4% from the November 30th total of 112,600 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 29,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.8 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on XOMA. StockNews.com cut XOMA from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and set a $123.00 price objective on shares of XOMA in a research note on Friday, December 13th.

XOMA Trading Down 3.6 %

XOMA stock traded down $0.98 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $26.30. 11,277 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 22,988. The company has a current ratio of 7.52, a quick ratio of 7.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $309.89 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.56 and a beta of 0.88. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $29.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $27.85. XOMA has a fifty-two week low of $18.24 and a fifty-two week high of $35.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at XOMA

In related news, CEO Owen Hughes sold 21,881 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.95, for a total transaction of $655,335.95. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 34,979 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,047,621.05. The trade was a 38.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 7.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of XOMA

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in XOMA. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in XOMA by 95.0% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,632 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 795 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in shares of XOMA by 16.0% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 9,695 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $230,000 after acquiring an additional 1,334 shares during the period. Barclays PLC raised its stake in shares of XOMA by 300.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 11,256 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $298,000 after acquiring an additional 8,447 shares during the period. Ellsworth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of XOMA during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $516,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in XOMA by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 62,656 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,484,000 after purchasing an additional 1,968 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.92% of the company's stock.

About XOMA

XOMA Corporation operates as a biotech royalty aggregator in the United States and the Asia Pacific. It has a portfolio of economic rights to future potential milestone and royalty payments associated with partnered commercial and pre-commercial therapeutic candidates. The company also focuses on early to mid-stage clinical assets primarily in Phase 1 and 2 with commercial sales potential that are licensed to partners; and acquires milestone and royalty revenue streams on late-stage clinical or commercial assets.