Short Interest in Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. (NASDAQ:OCUL) Grows By 34.2%

by · The Markets Daily

Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. (NASDAQ:OCULGet Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 23,683,101 shares, an increase of 34.2% from the February 26th total of 17,648,381 shares. Currently, 11.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 6,660,775 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.6 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $30.00 price objective on shares of Ocular Therapeutix in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Citigroup reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Ocular Therapeutix in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. HC Wainwright upped their price target on Ocular Therapeutix from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Ocular Therapeutix in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC cut their price objective on shares of Ocular Therapeutix from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 20th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ocular Therapeutix has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $23.78.

Read Our Latest Analysis on Ocular Therapeutix

Ocular Therapeutix Trading Down 2.0%

NASDAQ:OCUL traded down $0.15 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $7.40. The stock had a trading volume of 3,136,651 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,076,085. Ocular Therapeutix has a 52 week low of $5.80 and a 52 week high of $16.44. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $9.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $11.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 15.32 and a current ratio of 15.39.

Ocular Therapeutix (NASDAQ:OCULGet Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.29) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.33) by $0.04. Ocular Therapeutix had a negative return on equity of 70.68% and a negative net margin of 511.90%.The firm had revenue of $13.25 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.13 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($0.29) EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 22.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Ocular Therapeutix will post -0.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Ocular Therapeutix news, insider Nadia Waheed sold 3,510 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.74, for a total value of $27,167.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 314,907 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,437,380.18. This represents a 1.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Jeffrey S. Heier sold 3,057 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.28, for a total value of $25,311.96. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 323,368 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,677,487.04. This represents a 0.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 197,221 shares of company stock worth $1,754,805. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ocular Therapeutix

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Ocular Therapeutix by 26.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,575,193 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $140,523,000 after buying an additional 2,411,953 shares in the last quarter. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Ocular Therapeutix by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC now owns 10,777,777 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $130,842,000 after acquiring an additional 527,777 shares in the last quarter. TCG Crossover Management LLC grew its position in Ocular Therapeutix by 15.0% in the third quarter. TCG Crossover Management LLC now owns 6,117,232 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $71,510,000 after acquiring an additional 798,084 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its stake in Ocular Therapeutix by 15.5% during the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 4,625,050 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $56,148,000 after acquiring an additional 620,700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Ocular Therapeutix by 30.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,356,547 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $52,896,000 after purchasing an additional 1,018,094 shares during the period. 59.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Ocular Therapeutix

(Get Free Report)

Ocular Therapeutix, Inc is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of innovative therapies for diseases and conditions of the eye. Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Bedford, Massachusetts, the company focuses on sustained-release drug delivery platforms designed to address key unmet needs in ophthalmology. Its proprietary hydrogel-based inserts and sealants aim to improve patient compliance and outcomes by providing controlled release of active pharmaceutical ingredients directly to ocular tissues.

The company’s flagship product, DEXTENZA®, is a preservative-free, sustained-release dexamethasone intracanalicular insert approved by the U.S.

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