LADENBURG THALM/SH SH Downgrades Capricor Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CAPR) to Neutral

Capricor Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CAPR) was downgraded by research analysts at LADENBURG THALM/SH SH from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note issued on Thursday, Marketbeat reports.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on CAPR. Roth Capital downgraded shares of Capricor Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $7.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Monday. Alliance Global Partners downgraded shares of Capricor Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $7.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday. Piper Sandler cut Capricor Therapeutics from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating on shares of Capricor Therapeutics in a research note on Monday. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Capricor Therapeutics in a research note on Monday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $40.60.

Capricor Therapeutics Stock Performance

Capricor Therapeutics stock opened at $6.67 on Thursday. Capricor Therapeutics has a 52 week low of $4.30 and a 52 week high of $40.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $386.27 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.88 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $24.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $27.07.

Capricor Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CAPR) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 12th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.59) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.55) by ($0.04). Equities analysts forecast that Capricor Therapeutics will post -0.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Capricor Therapeutics news, CFO Anthony Bergmann sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.70, for a total value of $792,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 8,223 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $260,669.10. The trade was a 75.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 50,000 shares of company stock worth $1,551,658 in the last 90 days. 9.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Glenmede Trust Co. NA boosted its position in Capricor Therapeutics by 13.2% during the first quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 36,330 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,104,000 after purchasing an additional 4,240 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of Capricor Therapeutics by 672.0% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 415,483 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $12,631,000 after purchasing an additional 361,664 shares during the period. Stempoint Capital LP lifted its stake in shares of Capricor Therapeutics by 110.6% in the first quarter. Stempoint Capital LP now owns 37,592 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,143,000 after buying an additional 19,739 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC acquired a new stake in shares of Capricor Therapeutics in the first quarter worth $687,000. Finally, Ally Bridge Group NY LLC bought a new stake in shares of Capricor Therapeutics during the 1st quarter worth $3,463,000. 21.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Capricor Therapeutics

Here are the key news stories impacting Capricor Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Peer-reviewed data support deramiocel: The Lancet published HOPE-3 Phase 3 results showing that deramiocel slowed upper-limb function decline by 54% versus placebo and produced reported cardiac benefits. Capricor said the publication independently validated the trial’s design, methodology and findings. The Lancet Publishes HOPE-3 Data for Capricor Therapeutics’ Deramiocel in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
• Neutral Sentiment: FDA panel vote is not the final agency decision: Independent advisers recommended against approval of deramiocel for the Duchenne heart-disease indication. The FDA is not required to follow the panel, but the vote is a significant regulatory obstacle. FDA panel votes against Capricor’s Duchenne heart disease therapy
• Negative Sentiment: FDA briefing documents challenged the company’s evidence: Regulators concluded that deramiocel did not demonstrate statistically significant benefits on its prespecified cardiac endpoint, undermining investor confidence despite Capricor’s positive interpretation of the HOPE-3 data.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts turned more cautious: B. Riley and Roth Capital downgraded the stock, followed by Alliance Global Partners’ move from Buy to Neutral with a $7 price target. The downgrades reflect increased uncertainty around approval and commercial prospects.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple securities-law investigations were announced: Rosen Law Firm, Hagens Berman, Glancy Prongay Wolff, Levi & Korsinsky, Bragar Eagel & Squire, Block & Leviton and Kirby McInerney are soliciting investors or investigating whether Capricor made misleading statements about deramiocel’s efficacy and trial results. These announcements add reputational and potential litigation risk, although no wrongdoing has been established.

Capricor Therapeutics Company Profile

Capricor Therapeutics, Inc is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development of cell and exosome-based therapeutics for cardiovascular and rare diseases. Headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, the company leverages proprietary cardiosphere-derived cell (CDC) technology to address conditions characterized by inflammation, fibrosis, and tissue degeneration. Since its founding, Capricor has advanced its lead candidate through multiple clinical trials and has built a pipeline that spans both cell therapy and extracellular vesicle (exosome) platforms.

The company’s leading product candidate, CAP-1002, comprises allogeneic CDCs and is being evaluated in indications such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and COVID-19-related heart injury.