Significant Increase in Short Interest for Arcturus Therapeutics

Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:ARCT) experienced a notable rise in short interest throughout December. As of December 31st, the total short interest reached 4,820,000 shares, marking an 8.6% increase from the 4,440,000 shares reported on December 15th. Currently, about 19.6% of the company's shares are sold short. With an average trading volume of 400,900 shares, the short-interest ratio stands at 12.0 days.

Institutional Investors Update

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Arcturus Therapeutics

Recent adjustments by large investors reflect their positions in Arcturus Therapeutics. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake by 54.6% in the third quarter, currently holding 103,936 shares valued at $2,412,000 after acquiring an additional 36,714 shares. Another major investor, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc., boosted its position by 45.6%, now owning 2,275,715 shares valued at $52,819,000, following an increase of 712,650 shares. Additionally, Empire Life Investments Inc. purchased a new stake valued at $3,498,000. XTX Topco Ltd and Squarepoint Ops LLC also made new investments during the second quarter, valued at $596,000 and $718,000, respectively. Collectively, institutional investors own 94.54% of Arcturus stock.

Current Trading Performance

On Friday, Arcturus Therapeutics shares opened at $16.79. The company's fifty-day moving average is $17.46, while the 200-day moving average is $19.85. Over the past fifty-two weeks, the share price has fluctuated between a low of $14.30 and a high of $45.00.

Arcturus Therapeutics last reported its quarterly earnings on November 7th. The company posted a loss of ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations of ($0.70) by $0.44. However, it recorded a negative return on equity of 22.39% and a negative net margin of 36.39%. During the quarter, Arcturus generated $41.67 million in revenue, which fell short of the consensus estimate of $49.16 million. Last year, the same period showed an EPS of ($0.61). Analysts predict that Arcturus Therapeutics will post -2.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Market Analyst Insights

Coverage by Wall Street analysts remains optimistic for ARCT. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating with a target price of $63.00 in a report dated January 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald also maintained an "overweight" rating for the stock as of December 16th. Overall, six analysts have issued buy ratings while one rated it as a strong buy. As per MarketBeat data, Arcturus has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $66.75.

Understanding Arcturus Therapeutics

About Arcturus Therapeutics

Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing advanced messenger RNA medicines and vaccines, particularly for infectious diseases and rare conditions affecting the liver and respiratory system. The company utilizes innovative platforms, such as LUNAR lipid-mediated delivery and STARR mRNA technology.

Investment Considerations

Investors looking at Arcturus Therapeutics should consider it in the context of its recent performance and market ratings. While the company holds a "Buy" rating from analysts, there are additional stocks viewed more favorably by top research analysts.

growth, investment, stocks