Aura Biosciences (NASDAQ:AURA) Lowered to Sell Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Aura Biosciences (NASDAQ:AURA) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note released on Sunday.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Aura Biosciences from a “sell (e+)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Leerink Partners set a $17.00 price objective on shares of Aura Biosciences in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, HC Wainwright cut their price objective on shares of Aura Biosciences from $24.00 to $18.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $17.50.

Aura Biosciences Price Performance

Aura Biosciences stock opened at $7.69 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $7.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $6.75. The company has a market cap of $797.53 million, a PE ratio of -4.39 and a beta of 0.40. Aura Biosciences has a twelve month low of $4.73 and a twelve month high of $9.53.

Aura Biosciences (NASDAQ:AURA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 11th. The company reported ($0.48) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.38) by ($0.10). As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Aura Biosciences will post -1.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Anthony S. Gibney sold 12,824 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.42, for a total transaction of $82,330.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 265,354 shares in the company, valued at $1,703,572.68. The trade was a 4.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Corporate insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aura Biosciences

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AURA. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in Aura Biosciences in the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Aura Biosciences by 130.4% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 5,665 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 3,206 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in Aura Biosciences by 49.3% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,372 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 2,104 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC bought a new position in Aura Biosciences in the fourth quarter worth approximately $59,000. Finally, Water Island Capital LLC bought a new position in Aura Biosciences in the third quarter worth approximately $64,000. Institutional investors own 96.75% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Aura Biosciences

Here are the key news stories impacting Aura Biosciences this week:

• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright maintained a Buy rating and an $18 price target while raising its EPS forecasts for 2026 through 2030. The firm now expects narrower losses in the next several years and forecasts a return to profitability by 2030, when it projects $0.56 in EPS. Q1 Earnings Forecast for AURA Issued By HC Wainwright
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains broadly constructive toward Aura’s healthcare opportunity. Aura was included among healthcare stocks highlighted as having bullish analyst coverage, which may help offset concerns about its ongoing losses. Analysts Are Bullish on Top Healthcare Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Aura cut approximately 20% of its workforce to preserve cash and fund its late-stage eye-cancer trial. The move could extend the company’s runway, but it also highlights the financial demands and execution risks associated with advancing its clinical program. Aura Cuts 20% of Staff to Fund Late-Stage Trial
• Negative Sentiment: Aura reported quarterly EPS of negative $0.48, missing the negative $0.38 analyst consensus. The earnings shortfall triggered a gap-down move and reinforces concerns about the company’s continuing cash burn and lack of near-term profitability. Aura Biosciences Shares Gap Down Following Weak Earnings

Aura Biosciences Company Profile

Aura Biosciences is a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel virus‐like particle (VLP) therapies for the treatment of cancer. By combining proprietary VLP technology with photoactivatable dyes, Aura aims to deliver highly selective photodynamic therapies that target and destroy tumor cells while sparing healthy tissue. The company’s platform is designed to address solid tumors in both ophthalmic and non‐ophthalmic settings, leveraging precision activation via near‐infrared light to induce localized tumor cell apoptosis and stimulate anti‐tumor immune responses.

The lead product candidate, AU-011, is being evaluated in patients with choroidal melanoma, a rare but potentially sight-threatening eye cancer.