Kezar Life Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:KZR) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Kezar Life Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:KZR) was the target of a large increase in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 60,500 shares, an increase of 28.7% from the February 28th total of 47,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 34,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.8 days. Approximately 1.0% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on KZR shares. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Kezar Life Sciences in a report on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Kezar Life Sciences from $11.00 to $9.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 19th.

Kezar Life Sciences Stock Up 2.0 %

NASDAQ KZR traded up $0.09 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $4.60. 8,765 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 62,273. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.61 million, a PE ratio of -0.35 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a current ratio of 7.65, a quick ratio of 7.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. Kezar Life Sciences has a 12 month low of $4.36 and a 12 month high of $9.18. The company has a 50 day moving average of $5.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $6.68.

Kezar Life Sciences (NASDAQ:KZR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 25th. The company reported ($2.77) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($2.71) by ($0.06). As a group, equities analysts expect that Kezar Life Sciences will post -4.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Kezar Life Sciences by 613.8% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 11,884 shares of the company’s stock valued at $80,000 after acquiring an additional 10,219 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP bought a new stake in Kezar Life Sciences during the fourth quarter valued at $217,000. XTX Topco Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Kezar Life Sciences by 256.1% during the third quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 52,148 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 37,504 shares during the period. BML Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Kezar Life Sciences in the 4th quarter worth about $327,000. Finally, Shay Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kezar Life Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at about $398,000. Institutional investors own 67.90% of the company’s stock.

Kezar Life Sciences Company Profile

Kezar Life Sciences, Inc, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, engages in the discovery and development of novel small molecule therapeutics to treat unmet needs in immune-mediated diseases and cancer in the United States. The company's lead product candidate is zetomipzomib (KZR-616), a selective immunoproteasome inhibitor that is in Phase 2b clinical trials for various indications, including lupus nephritis, dermatomyositis, and polymyositis; Phase 1b clinical trials in systemic lupus erythematosus; and completed Phase 2a clinical trials in lupus nephritis.