Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATRA) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATRA) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest during the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 209,287 shares, a drop of 25.9% from the January 29th total of 282,525 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 87,228 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.4 days. Approximately 3.0% of the company’s shares are sold short. Approximately 3.0% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 87,228 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.4 days.

Atara Biotherapeutics Price Performance

ATRA opened at $5.42 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $39.08 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.49 and a beta of -0.44. Atara Biotherapeutics has a 1 year low of $3.92 and a 1 year high of $19.15. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $8.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $11.92.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ATRA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Atara Biotherapeutics in a report on Monday, December 29th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $6.00 price objective (down from $25.00) on shares of Atara Biotherapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, New Street Research set a $6.00 target price on Atara Biotherapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $6.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Innovation Ltd Panacea sold 80,554 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $6.07, for a total value of $488,962.78. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 1,324,446 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,039,387.22. This represents a 5.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 4.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atara Biotherapeutics

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Atara Biotherapeutics by 6.6% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 203,438 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $2,915,000 after buying an additional 12,677 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in Atara Biotherapeutics by 28.4% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 148,632 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $2,689,000 after buying an additional 32,836 shares during the period. Globeflex Capital L P raised its holdings in Atara Biotherapeutics by 399.6% during the 4th quarter. Globeflex Capital L P now owns 77,224 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,397,000 after acquiring an additional 61,766 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Atara Biotherapeutics by 183.5% in the third quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 63,816 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $914,000 after acquiring an additional 41,302 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Atara Biotherapeutics by 2.5% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 60,136 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $464,000 after purchasing an additional 1,457 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.90% of the company’s stock.

About Atara Biotherapeutics

Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel T-cell immunotherapies to transform the treatment of cancer and autoimmune disease. Headquartered in South San Francisco, California, Atara leverages its proprietary off-the-shelf allogeneic Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-directed T-cell platform to generate engineered cell therapies designed to target EBV-driven malignancies and immune-mediated disorders.

The company’s lead product candidate, tabelecleucel, is an off-the-shelf, EBV-specific T-cell therapy in clinical development for the treatment of EBV-positive post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) and other EBV-associated cancers.