Sol-Gel Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ:SLGL) Short Interest Up 78.3% in January

Sol-Gel Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ:SLGL) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 9,481 shares, an increase of 78.3% from the December 31st total of 5,318 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 16,827 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.6 days. Currently, 1.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Currently, 1.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 16,827 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.6 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SLGL has been the topic of a number of research reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Sol-Gel Technologies to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Sol-Gel Technologies in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered Sol-Gel Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 1st. Finally, HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $110.00 price target (up previously from $50.00) on shares of Sol-Gel Technologies in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $110.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Opaleye Management Inc. purchased 35,169 shares of Sol-Gel Technologies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $41.99 per share, for a total transaction of $1,476,746.31. Following the purchase, the insider owned 421,242 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,687,951.58. This trade represents a 9.11% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders have purchased 82,232 shares of company stock worth $3,464,526 in the last three months. 66.51% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Sol-Gel Technologies Trading Up 5.5%

Shares of SLGL traded up $3.37 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $64.22. 61,739 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 19,299. The company has a market cap of $179.17 million, a P/E ratio of -19.70 and a beta of 1.35. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $49.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $34.46. Sol-Gel Technologies has a 52-week low of $4.02 and a 52-week high of $75.00.

Sol-Gel Technologies (NASDAQ:SLGL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 20th. The company reported ($2.13) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($2.09) by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $0.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $0.30 million. Sol-Gel Technologies had a negative return on equity of 33.61% and a negative net margin of 47.37%. On average, research analysts forecast that Sol-Gel Technologies will post -0.28 EPS for the current year.

Sol-Gel Technologies Company Profile

Sol-Gel Technologies, Inc (NASDAQ: SLGL) is a U.S.-based advanced materials company specializing in the development and commercialization of nanostructured materials using proprietary sol-gel processes. Leveraging expertise in materials chemistry and thin-film deposition, the company focuses on the production of metal oxide powders, sols, coatings and functional inks designed to enhance performance in a variety of industrial and commercial applications.

The company’s product portfolio includes corrosion- and abrasion-resistant coatings, dielectric and conductive films, catalyst supports and specialty fillers.