Candel Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CADL) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Sell

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Candel Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CADL) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report released on Sunday morning.

CADL has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on Candel Therapeutics in a report on Monday, April 20th. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Candel Therapeutics in a report on Monday, July 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Candel Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Candel Therapeutics from $9.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $23.00 price objective on shares of Candel Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $19.29.

Candel Therapeutics Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CADL opened at $11.72 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $896.81 million, a P/E ratio of -8.31 and a beta of -0.51. The company has a quick ratio of 16.09, a current ratio of 16.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company has a fifty day moving average of $9.68 and a 200 day moving average of $7.41. Candel Therapeutics has a 52 week low of $4.35 and a 52 week high of $11.95.

Candel Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CADL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The company reported ($0.52) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.24) by ($0.28). On average, research analysts predict that Candel Therapeutics will post -1.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Francesca Barone sold 23,447 shares of Candel Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.06, for a total transaction of $235,876.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 77,362 shares in the company, valued at approximately $778,261.72. This trade represents a 23.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CTO Seshu Tyagarajan sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.02, for a total value of $70,140.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 83,865 shares in the company, valued at approximately $840,327.30. This represents a 7.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 14.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Candel Therapeutics

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of CADL. Invesco Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Candel Therapeutics in the first quarter worth approximately $59,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in Candel Therapeutics by 37.7% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 16,748 shares of the company’s stock worth $95,000 after acquiring an additional 4,583 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in Candel Therapeutics by 26.8% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 33,302 shares of the company’s stock valued at $188,000 after acquiring an additional 7,030 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Candel Therapeutics by 31.5% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 903,970 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,575,000 after purchasing an additional 216,509 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Candel Therapeutics by 36.9% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 19,533 shares of the company’s stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 5,270 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.93% of the company’s stock.

More Candel Therapeutics News

Here are the key news stories impacting Candel Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright reaffirmed its Buy rating and $23 price target, implying substantial potential upside from recent trading levels. The firm’s outlook reflects expectations for future earnings growth and progress in Candel’s pipeline. HC Wainwright reaffirms Buy rating and price target
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted “meaningful execution” toward a biologics license application (BLA) submission in the fourth quarter. Candel is targeting its first commercial product in 2027, making regulatory progress a key catalyst for the stock. CADL rises as biotech targets 2027 commercial launch
• Neutral Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target from $9 to $12 but maintained a Neutral rating. The revised target is close to the recent share price, suggesting the analyst sees limited near-term upside despite the higher valuation estimate. Bank of America raises CADL price target
• Negative Sentiment: Candel reported a second-quarter loss of $0.52 per share, substantially worse than the $0.27 consensus estimate. The earnings miss highlights continued cash-burn and execution risk for the clinical-stage biotechnology company. Candel second-quarter earnings release
• Negative Sentiment: HC Wainwright modestly reduced its FY2028 and FY2029 EPS estimates to $0.69 and $1.41, respectively. Although the firm retained its Buy rating and $23 target, the estimate cuts indicate slightly lower expectations for Candel’s long-term profitability.

Candel Therapeutics Company Profile

Candel Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CADL) is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company focused on the development of next-generation oncolytic viral therapies designed to treat solid tumors. The company’s lead candidate, CAN-2409, is a locally administered, gene-delivered viral therapy engineered to selectively replicate in cancer cells and induce immunogenic cell death. Candel leverages proprietary virus engineering platforms to enhance tumor-specific replication and stimulate anti-tumor immune responses, aiming to improve outcomes for patients with high unmet medical needs.

In addition to its lead program, Candel’s pipeline includes CAN-3110, an oncolytic herpes simplex virus targeting recurrent high-grade glioma, and other novel viral constructs being explored for a variety of solid tumor indications.