Krystal Biotech, Inc. (NASDAQ:KRYS) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Krystal Biotech, Inc. (NASDAQ:KRYS) saw a significant decline in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 2,760,000 shares, a decline of 13.5% from the February 13th total of 3,190,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 278,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 9.9 days. Approximately 11.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Krystal Biotech Price Performance

Krystal Biotech stock traded down $0.60 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $188.59. 16,322 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 282,983. The stock has a market cap of $5.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 63.25 and a beta of 0.87. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $165.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $173.69. Krystal Biotech has a fifty-two week low of $141.72 and a fifty-two week high of $219.34.

Krystal Biotech (NASDAQ:KRYS) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 24th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.23. Krystal Biotech had a return on equity of 11.41% and a net margin of 30.69%. The company had revenue of $91.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $91.35 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.30 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 116.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Krystal Biotech will post 6.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Chardan Capital lifted their price target on shares of Krystal Biotech from $212.00 to $218.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Citigroup upped their price target on Krystal Biotech from $206.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Krystal Biotech in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $245.00 price objective on the stock. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $221.00 target price on shares of Krystal Biotech in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Krystal Biotech in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $220.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Kathryn Romano sold 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.22, for a total value of $131,415.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 12,604 shares in the company, valued at $2,208,472.88. This trade represents a 5.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Suma Krishnan sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.79, for a total value of $4,444,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,463,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $260,233,178.69. This trade represents a 1.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 14.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Krystal Biotech

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Krystal Biotech during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. bought a new position in Krystal Biotech during the 4th quarter worth $95,000. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in Krystal Biotech by 972.7% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 708 shares of the company’s stock worth $111,000 after buying an additional 642 shares during the period. KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of Krystal Biotech by 25.9% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $117,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the period. Finally, Avanza Fonder AB acquired a new stake in Krystal Biotech during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $119,000. Institutional investors own 86.29% of the company’s stock.

About Krystal Biotech

Krystal Biotech, Inc, a commercial-stage biotechnology company, discovers, develops, and commercializes genetic medicines for patients with rare diseases in the United States. It commercializes VYJUVEK (beremagene geperpavec-svdt, or B-VEC) for the treatment of dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB).