BioNTech SE (NASDAQ:BNTX) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

BioNTech SE (NASDAQ:BNTX) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,470,000 shares, a growth of 22.3% from the October 31st total of 2,020,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,120,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.2 days.

BioNTech Stock Performance

Shares of BioNTech stock traded down $2.33 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $118.39. 518,891 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,137,633. The company has a current ratio of 7.33, a quick ratio of 7.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $113.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $98.68. BioNTech has a one year low of $76.53 and a one year high of $131.49.

BioNTech (NASDAQ:BNTX) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.26) by $2.07. The company had revenue of $1.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $514.08 million. BioNTech had a negative net margin of 15.16% and a negative return on equity of 2.35%. BioNTech’s revenue was up 38.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.73 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that BioNTech will post -3.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BNTX has been the topic of several recent research reports. Evercore ISI raised BioNTech from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $110.00 to $125.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised BioNTech from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $90.00 to $137.00 in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price target on BioNTech from $171.00 to $171.44 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Bank of America lifted their price target on BioNTech from $125.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised BioNTech from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $93.00 to $145.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, BioNTech currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.67.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BioNTech

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC increased its holdings in BioNTech by 797.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,299,929 shares of the company’s stock valued at $748,243,000 after purchasing an additional 5,598,190 shares during the last quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of BioNTech during the third quarter worth $59,485,000. Candriam S.C.A. boosted its holdings in BioNTech by 261.2% during the 2nd quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 578,998 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,526,000 after acquiring an additional 418,695 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. boosted its stake in shares of BioNTech by 283.5% in the second quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 461,711 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,103,000 after purchasing an additional 341,311 shares during the period. Finally, Braidwell LP acquired a new position in shares of BioNTech in the third quarter worth $29,425,000. 15.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About BioNTech

BioNTech SE, a biotechnology company, develops and commercializes immunotherapies for cancer and other infectious diseases. The company is developing FixVac product candidates, including BNT111, which is in Phase II clinical trial for advance melanoma; BNT112 that is in Phase I/IIa clinical trial for prostate cancer; BNT113, which is in Phase II clinical trial to treat HPV 16+ head and neck cancers; BNT114 to treat triple negative breast cancer; BNT115, which is in Phase I clinical trial in ovarian cancer; and BNT116, which is in Phase I clinical trial for non-small cell lung cancer.