Aardvark Therapeutics’ (AARD) Equal Weight Rating Reiterated at Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley reissued their equal weight rating on shares of Aardvark Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AARD) in a research note released on Monday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have a $7.00 target price on the stock, down from their prior target price of $29.00.

AARD has been the subject of a number of other reports. BTIG Research reduced their price objective on shares of Aardvark Therapeutics from $26.00 to $9.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday. B. Riley Financial initiated coverage on shares of Aardvark Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $32.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Aardvark Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Oppenheimer began coverage on Aardvark Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, December 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $35.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut Aardvark Therapeutics from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $18.00 to $6.00 in a report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $25.09.

Aardvark Therapeutics Trading Up 15.1%

Shares of NASDAQ AARD opened at $5.64 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $122.78 million and a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.66. Aardvark Therapeutics has a one year low of $4.74 and a one year high of $17.94. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $13.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $12.06.

Insider Activity at Aardvark Therapeutics

In other Aardvark Therapeutics news, CFO Nelson Sun bought 3,000 shares of Aardvark Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $14.40 per share, with a total value of $43,200.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 108,484 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,562,169.60. The trade was a 2.84% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Tien-Li Lee purchased 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $14.48 per share, with a total value of $101,360.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,551,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,467,356.24. This represents a 0.45% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. UBS Group AG grew its holdings in Aardvark Therapeutics by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 54,728 shares of the company’s stock worth $727,000 after acquiring an additional 2,804 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Aardvark Therapeutics in the second quarter worth about $42,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Aardvark Therapeutics by 72.9% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,989 shares of the company’s stock worth $108,000 after acquiring an additional 3,369 shares during the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Aardvark Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,000. Finally, Persistent Asset Partners Ltd bought a new position in Aardvark Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $56,000.

Key Headlines Impacting Aardvark Therapeutics

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

• Positive Sentiment: Technical/market reaction: The stock is rallying on heavy intraday volume and volatility, consistent with a short-covering/technical rebound after the steep drop earlier in the week. (No single article — market action/volume cited in trading summary)
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reporting is inconsistent/erroneous in some feeds (reports showing 0 shares), so apparent “short interest” data should be treated with caution until reliable filings update.
• Neutral Sentiment: HC Wainwright reiterated a Neutral rating for AARD. HC Wainwright Reiterates Neutral Rating for Aardvark Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AARD)
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reiterated an Equal Weight rating. Morgan Stanley Reiterates Equal Weight Rating for Aardvark Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AARD)
• Neutral Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus maintains a Hold rating. Aardvark Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AARD) Earns “Hold” Rating from Stifel Nicolaus
• Negative Sentiment: Clinical risk: Aardvark paused its Phase 3 HERO (Prader‑Willi syndrome/metabolic) trial because of cardiac safety observations — the primary driver of this week’s selloff and the main fundamental negative for the stock. Aardvark Therapeutics (AARD) Is Down 61.4% After Pausing Phase 3 HERO Trial Over Cardiac Safety Questions
• Negative Sentiment: Additional press coverage highlights the trial pause and market reaction (context on safety signals and share plunge). Aardvark pauses phase 3 metabolic drug study over cardiac observations
• Negative Sentiment: Legal risk: Multiple shareholder-investigations/class-action solicitations have been announced (Pomerantz, Schall), increasing potential litigation exposure and investor uncertainty. AARD Investors Have Opportunity to Join Aardvark Therapeutics, Inc. Fraud Investigation with the Schall Law Firm INVESTOR-ALERT Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of Aardvark Therapeutics, Inc.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst sentiment turned more cautious: BTIG cut its price target (to $9) and Oppenheimer issued a pessimistic forecast — pressure on near-term expectations and valuation. BTIG Research Lowers Aardvark Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AARD) Price Target to $9.00 Oppenheimer Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Aardvark Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AARD) Stock Price

About Aardvark Therapeutics

Aardvark Therapeutics, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, specializing in the discovery and development of small-molecule modulators of the retinoic acid receptor–related orphan receptor gamma (RORγ). RORγ plays a central role in T-helper 17 (Th17) cell differentiation and inflammatory processes. By targeting this transcription factor, Aardvark aims to address a range of autoimmune and immune-mediated diseases.

The company’s lead programs consist of selective RORγ inverse agonists designed to suppress pathogenic Th17-driven responses in conditions such as psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease and other chronic inflammatory disorders.