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

Kezar Life Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:KZR) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in 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 shares of the stock are short sold.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kezar Life Sciences

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on KZR. 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, February 28th.

Kezar Life Sciences Trading Down 7.6 %

Shares of Kezar Life Sciences stock traded down $0.37 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $4.51. 32,522 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 62,486. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.95 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.34 and a beta of 0.49. Kezar Life Sciences has a twelve month low of $4.38 and a twelve month high of $9.18. 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 50-day simple moving average of $5.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $6.68.

Kezar Life Sciences (NASDAQ:KZR) last released its 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 forecast that Kezar Life Sciences will post -4.39 EPS for the current year.

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.