KalVista Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:KALV) Downgraded by Leerink Partners to Hold

Leerink Partners cut shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:KALV) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Wednesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Citizens Jmp downgraded shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. HC Wainwright raised their price objective on KalVista Pharmaceuticals from $27.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on KalVista Pharmaceuticals from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $32.60.

KalVista Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 0.0%

NASDAQ:KALV opened at $26.66 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $18.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $15.72. KalVista Pharmaceuticals has a 52-week low of $9.83 and a 52-week high of $26.76. The company has a market cap of $1.37 billion, a PE ratio of -6.75 and a beta of -0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.18, a quick ratio of 7.21 and a current ratio of 7.22.

Insider Buying and Selling at KalVista Pharmaceuticals

In other KalVista Pharmaceuticals news, major shareholder Venrock Healthcare Capital Par sold 174,645 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.95, for a total transaction of $2,960,232.75. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 5,129,340 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $86,942,313. This represents a 3.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Paul K. Audhya sold 5,354 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.57, for a total transaction of $83,361.78. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 138,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,163,965.31. This represents a 3.71% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 263,969 shares of company stock valued at $4,536,178 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KalVista Pharmaceuticals

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of KALV. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in KalVista Pharmaceuticals by 47.0% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,041 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 1,292 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank acquired a new stake in shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Wolverine Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $57,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $63,000. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC raised its stake in KalVista Pharmaceuticals by 253.8% in the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 4,684 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $76,000 after acquiring an additional 3,360 shares during the period.

More KalVista Pharmaceuticals News

Here are the key news stories impacting KalVista Pharmaceuticals this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Chiesi Group agreed to acquire KalVista for about $1.9 billion and to buy shares for $27.00 in cash — the deal highlights Chiesi’s push into rare-disease/HAE treatment Ekterly and is the primary catalyst for the stock’s jump. Chiesi to buy KalVista in $1.9B deal
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction: shares surged roughly 38–39% on the takeover news and trading volume spiked well above average, reflecting investor demand to capture the cash takeover consideration. KalVista stock surges 39%
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading mechanics: trading in KALV was temporarily halted prior to the announcement for “news pending,” a routine step that precedes major corporate news and can amplify post-release moves. (Company/regulatory filings reflected the halt.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst view: Needham & Company reaffirmed a “hold” rating on KalVista — a reminder some analysts view the takeover price as fair or limited upside beyond the offer. Needham reaffirms hold
• Negative Sentiment: Litigation risk: multiple shareholder-alerts and law-firm investigations (Ademi LLP and Monteverde & Associates) have been announced questioning whether the $27.00 per-share deal is fair and whether fiduciary duties were met — these actions could delay closing, prompt a negotiated price change, or produce settlement costs. Ademi LLP shareholder alert Monteverde investigation

About KalVista Pharmaceuticals

KalVista Pharmaceuticals is a clinical‐stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of small‐molecule protease inhibitors for orphan and specialty disease indications. The firm’s scientific platform centers on selective inhibition of plasma kallikrein, a serine protease implicated in disorders characterized by vascular leak, edema and inflammation. KalVista’s approach leverages oral and intravitreal delivery formats to target both systemic and ophthalmic conditions.

The company’s lead programs include an oral plasma kallikrein inhibitor in clinical trials for the acute treatment of hereditary angioedema (HAE) attacks and an intravitreal kallikrein inhibitor being evaluated for diabetic macular edema.