Geron Corporation (NASDAQ:GERN) Receives $2.75 Average Price Target from Brokerages

Geron Corporation (NASDAQ:GERN) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $2.75.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Geron in a research report on Friday, October 31st. HC Wainwright reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Geron in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Geron in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC decreased their target price on Geron from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th.

Geron Stock Performance

Shares of GERN opened at $1.34 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $855.40 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -11.17 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 4.87, a current ratio of 5.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The business’s 50 day moving average is $1.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1.30. Geron has a 52-week low of $1.04 and a 52-week high of $3.45.

Geron (NASDAQ:GERN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.03) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.03). The business had revenue of $47.23 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.24 million. Geron had a negative net margin of 43.61% and a negative return on equity of 29.63%. Analysts forecast that Geron will post -0.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Geron

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Geron by 40.1% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 158,787 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $210,000 after buying an additional 45,454 shares during the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd raised its stake in Geron by 73.6% during the third quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 26,371 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 11,182 shares during the period. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new position in Geron in the third quarter worth about $80,000. Forefront Analytics LLC boosted its stake in Geron by 48.5% in the third quarter. Forefront Analytics LLC now owns 52,258 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 17,077 shares during the period. Finally, Velan Capital Investment Management LP boosted its stake in Geron by 14.3% in the third quarter. Velan Capital Investment Management LP now owns 80,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $110,000 after acquiring an additional 10,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 73.71% of the company’s stock.

About Geron

Geron Corporation (NASDAQ: GERN) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to developing and commercializing novel treatments that target telomerase, an enzyme critical to cancer cell immortality. The company’s research is focused on hematologic malignancies and solid tumors, with a pipeline designed to address diseases that have historically had limited therapeutic options.

The lead product candidate, imetelstat, is a first-in-class telomerase inhibitor currently in Phase II and Phase III clinical trials for myelofibrosis and myelodysplastic syndromes.