Short Interest in Kezar Life Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:KZR) Expands By 55.2%

Kezar Life Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:KZR) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 120,600 shares, an increase of 55.2% from the January 31st total of 77,700 shares. Currently, 1.9% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 42,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.8 days.

Institutional Trading of Kezar Life Sciences

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KZR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Kezar Life Sciences by 613.8% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 11,884 shares of the company’s stock worth $80,000 after buying an additional 10,219 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP acquired a new position in shares of Kezar Life Sciences in the 4th quarter worth approximately $217,000. XTX Topco Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Kezar Life Sciences by 256.1% in the 3rd quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 52,148 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 37,504 shares during the last quarter. BML Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kezar Life Sciences during the 4th quarter worth approximately $327,000. Finally, Shay Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Kezar Life Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $398,000. 67.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kezar Life Sciences Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of KZR stock traded up $0.10 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $5.80. 21,519 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 66,624. Kezar Life Sciences has a 52-week low of $5.20 and a 52-week high of $10.60. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $6.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $6.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.32 million, a P/E ratio of -0.44 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 7.65 and a quick ratio of 7.65.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KZR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Kezar Life Sciences from $11.00 to $9.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. HC Wainwright reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Kezar Life Sciences in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Kezar Life Sciences in a research report on Friday.

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.