Spero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:SPRO) Stock Gets Downgrade from Wall Street Zen

Spero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:SPRO) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report issued on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on Spero Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $6.00 price objective on the stock. Compass Point upgraded Spero Therapeutics to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, September 14th. HC Wainwright increased their target price on Spero Therapeutics from $5.00 to $6.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 14th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Spero Therapeutics from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Spero Therapeutics to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $6.00.

Spero Therapeutics Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:SPRO opened at $1.00 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $1.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1.91. Spero Therapeutics has a 12-month low of $0.95 and a 12-month high of $3.08. The firm has a market cap of $58.23 million, a PE ratio of -1.92 and a beta of 1.59.

Spero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:SPRO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 12th. The company reported ($0.76) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.47) by ($0.29). Spero Therapeutics had a return on equity of 10.54% and a net margin of 24.90%. On average, research analysts expect that Spero Therapeutics will post -0.97 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Esther Rajavelu sold 40,851 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1.04, for a total transaction of $42,485.04. Following the sale, the insider owned 946,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $983,840. This trade represents a 4.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Corporate insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Spero Therapeutics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new stake in Spero Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at approximately $236,000. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of Spero Therapeutics during the third quarter worth $77,000. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Spero Therapeutics during the second quarter worth $36,000. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Spero Therapeutics during the second quarter worth $1,314,000. Finally, Alphabet Inc. bought a new position in shares of Spero Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,967,000. 25.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Spero Therapeutics Company Profile

Spero Therapeutics, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing treatments for serious and difficult-to-treat bacterial infections. Its work has centered on antibiotic candidates intended to address infections for which existing treatment options may be limited. The company’s pipeline has included tebipenem HBr, an oral antibiotic candidate studied for complicated urinary tract infections, and programs targeting drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria and nontuberculous mycobacterial infections.