Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACRS) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACRS) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $10.1429.

ACRS has been the topic of several recent research reports. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and issued a $16.00 price target on shares of Aclaris Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on Aclaris Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $10.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group set a $10.00 target price on Aclaris Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Wedbush increased their target price on Aclaris Therapeutics from $8.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Craig Hallum assumed coverage on Aclaris Therapeutics in a report on Friday, January 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $10.00 price target for the company.

Aclaris Therapeutics Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of ACRS stock opened at $4.41 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $3.74 and a 200 day moving average of $3.19. Aclaris Therapeutics has a 52 week low of $1.16 and a 52 week high of $4.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $615.90 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.32 and a beta of 0.76.

Aclaris Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ACRS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.16) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.15) by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $1.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.07 million. Aclaris Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 52.04% and a negative net margin of 829.58%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Aclaris Therapeutics will post -0.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Aclaris Therapeutics

In related news, major shareholder Braden Michael Leonard sold 300,000 shares of Aclaris Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.53, for a total value of $1,359,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 13,950,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $63,193,500. This trade represents a 2.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 5.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ACRS. Three Bridge Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Aclaris Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at about $1,358,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Aclaris Therapeutics by 21.6% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 758,576 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,441,000 after buying an additional 134,784 shares in the last quarter. AXQ Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Aclaris Therapeutics in the third quarter worth about $27,000. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Aclaris Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Aclaris Therapeutics by 73.6% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 26,767 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $100,000 after buying an additional 11,344 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.34% of the company’s stock.

Aclaris Therapeutics Company Profile

Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc (NASDAQ:ACRS) is a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing novel small‐molecule therapies for dermatologic diseases and related rare disorders. The company’s pipeline includes several product candidates designed to address chronic inflammatory skin conditions and non‐melanoma skin lesions. Lead programs include ATI‐50002, a topical agent in late‐stage development for molluscum contagiosum removal; ATI‐50003 for common wart resolution; ATI‐1501, an oral JAK1/2 inhibitor targeting pruritic disorders; and ATI‐450, an oral MK2 inhibitor for inflammatory indications.

Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania, Aclaris leverages proprietary chemistry platforms and translational research capabilities to advance multiple clinical and preclinical candidates.