KalVista Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:KALV) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Still a Buy?

KalVista Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:KALV) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Thursday . 1,611,783 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 101% from the previous session’s volume of 803,603 shares.The stock last traded at $16.22 and had previously closed at $16.34.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on KALV shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded KalVista Pharmaceuticals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 6th. JMP Securities increased their price objective on shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 12th. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Citizens Jmp dropped their target price on shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $27.50.

KalVista Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

The business has a fifty day moving average of $14.35 and a 200-day moving average of $13.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.18, a quick ratio of 7.21 and a current ratio of 7.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $821.69 million, a P/E ratio of -4.12 and a beta of -0.14.

KalVista Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:KALV) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 10th. The specialty pharmaceutical company reported ($0.92) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.96) by $0.04. The company had revenue of $13.69 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.03 million. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that KalVista Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -3.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Paul K. Audhya sold 5,296 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.45, for a total value of $71,231.20. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 131,831 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,773,126.95. The trade was a 3.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Benjamin L. Palleiko sold 10,940 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.45, for a total value of $147,143.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 416,189 shares in the company, valued at $5,597,742.05. The trade was a 2.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 31,329 shares of company stock valued at $437,371 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KalVista Pharmaceuticals

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in KALV. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in KalVista Pharmaceuticals by 3.7% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,501,119 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $30,464,000 after acquiring an additional 88,720 shares during the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL acquired a new position in KalVista Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth approximately $24,360,000. Parkman Healthcare Partners LLC raised its stake in KalVista Pharmaceuticals by 155.5% in the third quarter. Parkman Healthcare Partners LLC now owns 1,735,003 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $21,132,000 after buying an additional 1,055,940 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals by 25.5% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 1,617,469 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $18,666,000 after acquiring an additional 329,068 shares during the period. Finally, Emerald Advisers LLC increased its holdings in shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals by 30.2% during the 3rd quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC now owns 1,351,254 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company’s stock worth $16,458,000 after acquiring an additional 313,205 shares during the last quarter.

About KalVista Pharmaceuticals

KalVista Pharmaceuticals is a clinical‐stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of small‐molecule protease inhibitors for orphan and specialty disease indications. The firm’s scientific platform centers on selective inhibition of plasma kallikrein, a serine protease implicated in disorders characterized by vascular leak, edema and inflammation. KalVista’s approach leverages oral and intravitreal delivery formats to target both systemic and ophthalmic conditions.

The company’s lead programs include an oral plasma kallikrein inhibitor in clinical trials for the acute treatment of hereditary angioedema (HAE) attacks and an intravitreal kallikrein inhibitor being evaluated for diabetic macular edema.