Kezar Life Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:KZR) Short Interest Up 28.7% in March

Kezar Life Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:KZR) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 60,500 shares, a growth of 28.7% from the February 28th total of 47,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 34,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.8 days. Currently, 1.0% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Kezar Life Sciences Stock Down 7.6 %

Shares of KZR traded down $0.37 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $4.51. 32,522 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 62,486. Kezar Life Sciences has a 1-year low of $4.38 and a 1-year high of $9.18. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $5.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $6.68. The company has a current ratio of 7.65, a quick ratio of 7.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The company has a market cap of $32.95 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.34 and a beta of 0.49.

Kezar Life Sciences (NASDAQ:KZR) last released 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). Research analysts expect that Kezar Life Sciences will post -4.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KZR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Kezar Life Sciences in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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. Finally, William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Kezar Life Sciences in a research report on Friday, February 28th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ikarian Capital LLC increased its stake in Kezar Life Sciences by 23.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ikarian Capital LLC now owns 1,068,992 shares of the company’s stock worth $827,000 after buying an additional 200,000 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 37,504 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kezar Life Sciences by 15.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 626,912 shares of the company’s stock worth $485,000 after acquiring an additional 81,678 shares in the last quarter. Peapod Lane Capital LLC purchased a new position in Kezar Life Sciences in the fourth quarter valued at about $833,000. Finally, BML Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Kezar Life Sciences during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $327,000. 67.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Kezar Life Sciences

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.