Keros Therapeutics (NASDAQ:KROS) Rating Lowered to “Strong Sell” at Wall Street Zen

Keros Therapeutics (NASDAQ:KROS) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on KROS. Leerink Partners cut their price objective on shares of Keros Therapeutics from $30.00 to $23.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Keros Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Keros Therapeutics from $20.00 to $18.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $20.00 target price on shares of Keros Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Keros Therapeutics from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $20.50.

Keros Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ KROS opened at $11.28 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $11.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $11.04. Keros Therapeutics has a 1-year low of $9.69 and a 1-year high of $22.55. The company has a market cap of $223.68 million, a PE ratio of -3.05 and a beta of 1.12.

Keros Therapeutics (NASDAQ:KROS) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The company reported ($1.45) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.34) by ($0.11). Keros Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 21.40% and a negative net margin of 256.60%. Analysts anticipate that Keros Therapeutics will post -5.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Keros Therapeutics announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, September 9th that allows the company to repurchase $5.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 2.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Lorena Raquel Lerner sold 3,568 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.29, for a total value of $36,714.72. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 27,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $283,582.11. This represents a 11.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold a total of 5,343 shares of company stock valued at $54,985 over the last ninety days. 12.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Keros Therapeutics

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Squarepoint Ops LLC purchased a new stake in Keros Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth $334,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its holdings in Keros Therapeutics by 29.5% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 69,926 shares of the company’s stock valued at $761,000 after purchasing an additional 15,940 shares in the last quarter. Nantahala Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Keros Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at $15,091,483. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in Keros Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at about $1,521,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in Keros Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at about $538,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.56% of the company’s stock.

About Keros Therapeutics

Keros Therapeutics, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing treatments for diseases caused by dysfunctional signaling in the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) superfamily of proteins. The company uses its research platform to design therapies intended to regulate signaling pathways involved in blood-cell production, bone health and cardiovascular function.

Keros’ investigational pipeline has included elritercept (KER-050), an activin receptor type IIA ligand trap being studied for hematologic conditions such as lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes and myelofibrosis.