Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACRS) Shares Sold by Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc.

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lowered its position in shares of Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACRS) by 37.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 576,042 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 339,467 shares during the quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc.’s holdings in Aclaris Therapeutics were worth $1,429,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. acquired a new stake in shares of Aclaris Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth about $23,876,000. Vivo Capital LLC purchased a new position in Aclaris Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $22,044,000. Rock Springs Capital Management LP lifted its stake in Aclaris Therapeutics by 125.3% during the 4th quarter. Rock Springs Capital Management LP now owns 6,204,309 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $15,387,000 after acquiring an additional 3,450,814 shares during the period. RA Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Aclaris Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at $11,573,000. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aclaris Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth $6,985,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.34% of the company’s stock.

Aclaris Therapeutics Trading Up 7.4%

ACRS opened at $1.31 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $1.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $2.23. Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc. has a 12-month low of $0.95 and a 12-month high of $5.17. The firm has a market cap of $141.85 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.52 and a beta of 0.42.

Aclaris Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ACRS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.12) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.19) by $0.07. Aclaris Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 40.26% and a negative net margin of 136.65%. On average, research analysts forecast that Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc. will post -0.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $16.00 price objective (down previously from $20.00) on shares of Aclaris Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday. Scotiabank reduced their target price on Aclaris Therapeutics from $15.00 to $9.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. StockNews.com cut Aclaris Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on Aclaris Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $10.00.

Aclaris Therapeutics Profile

Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development of novel drug candidates for immune-inflammatory diseases in the United States. The company operates through two segments, Therapeutics and Contract Research. The Therapeutics segment is involved in identifying and developing therapies to address significant unmet needs for immuno-inflammatory diseases.