Short Interest in Kezar Life Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:KZR) Rises By 80.7%

Kezar Life Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:KZR) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 85,300 shares, an increase of 80.7% from the December 15th total of 47,200 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 71,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.2 days. Approximately 1.4% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Kezar Life Sciences Trading Up 0.5 %

NASDAQ:KZR opened at $6.34 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.28 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.48 and a beta of 0.21. Kezar Life Sciences has a 52 week low of $5.20 and a 52 week high of $11.35. The company has a quick ratio of 7.65, a current ratio of 7.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $6.95 and a 200 day moving average of $6.72.

Kezar Life Sciences (NASDAQ:KZR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported ($2.78) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($3.03) by $0.25. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Kezar Life Sciences will post -4.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kezar Life Sciences

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. XTX Topco Ltd grew its position in Kezar Life Sciences by 256.1% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Kezar Life Sciences during the second quarter valued at $35,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Kezar Life Sciences by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,855,194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,112,000 after acquiring an additional 64,356 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Kezar Life Sciences by 15.0% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Kezar Life Sciences during the 2nd quarter worth about $63,000. 67.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KZR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. HC Wainwright restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Kezar Life Sciences in a report on Monday, December 2nd. William Blair restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Kezar Life Sciences in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on 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.

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.