Lyell Immunopharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:LYEL) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Lyell Immunopharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:LYEL) saw a significant growth in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 815,248 shares, a growth of 37.7% from the February 12th total of 592,027 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 106,872 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 7.6 days. Currently, 4.9% of the shares of the company are short sold. Currently, 4.9% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 106,872 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 7.6 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on LYEL. HC Wainwright raised Lyell Immunopharma from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $20.00 to $45.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Lyell Immunopharma in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Citizens Jmp began coverage on shares of Lyell Immunopharma in a research report on Monday, March 9th. They set a “market outperform” rating and a $34.00 price objective for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lyell Immunopharma presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $39.50.

Insider Activity at Lyell Immunopharma

In other Lyell Immunopharma news, insider Gary K. Lee sold 1,671 shares of Lyell Immunopharma stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.39, for a total value of $39,084.69. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 16,938 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,179.82. The trade was a 8.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Stephen J. Hill sold 1,236 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.39, for a total value of $28,910.04. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 17,795 shares in the company, valued at approximately $416,225.05. This represents a 6.49% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 11,310 shares of company stock valued at $264,285 in the last three months. 22.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lyell Immunopharma

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. ARCH Venture Management LLC purchased a new stake in Lyell Immunopharma in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $16,113,000. GSK plc purchased a new position in Lyell Immunopharma in the 4th quarter valued at about $46,560,000. MWG Caph Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Lyell Immunopharma during the fourth quarter worth about $31,030,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Lyell Immunopharma by 204.2% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 660,899 shares of the company’s stock valued at $354,000 after buying an additional 443,614 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lyell Immunopharma by 76.0% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 779,004 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,651,000 after buying an additional 336,378 shares during the period. 66.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lyell Immunopharma Stock Performance

LYEL stock traded down $3.52 during trading on Friday, reaching $21.25. 141,870 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 114,906. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $24.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $21.47. Lyell Immunopharma has a 52-week low of $7.65 and a 52-week high of $45.00. The company has a market cap of $451.35 million, a P/E ratio of -1.30 and a beta of -0.14.

Lyell Immunopharma (NASDAQ:LYEL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 12th. The company reported ($7.68) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($2.15) by ($5.53). The firm had revenue of $0.01 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $0.02 million. Lyell Immunopharma had a negative net margin of 762,355.56% and a negative return on equity of 85.36%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Lyell Immunopharma will post -0.78 EPS for the current year.

Lyell Immunopharma Company Profile

Lyell Immunopharma is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing next-generation T cell therapies for cancer. Leveraging a proprietary platform that combines cell therapy, gene editing and molecular discovery, Lyell seeks to overcome key barriers in the treatment of solid tumors. The company’s approach centers on engineering T cells to enhance their persistence, functionality and resistance to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.

The company’s pipeline includes multiple autologous T cell programs engineered to target tumor-associated antigens in solid malignancies such as melanoma, ovarian and pancreatic cancers.