One of the critical components of the investing world is the proliferation and understanding of analyst predictions. That's because most retail investors prefer to research consumer information regarding stock picks through the calculations of those deemed more experienced in understanding financial fundamentals.
Axsome Therapeutics was recently the target of an activist short seller. The allegations will impact the biotech's financials if they are true.
A short-seller alleged that Axsome has deals with mail-order pharmacies that inflate its reported revenue. If these allegations are proven true, the company could have to eventually restate its revenue.
National Bank of Canada FI cut its stake in Axsome Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AXSM – Free Report) by 99.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 600 shares of the company’s stock after selling 59,603 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI’s holdings in Axsome Therapeutics were worth $46,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its position in Axsome Therapeutics by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 18,734 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,309,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in Axsome Therapeutics by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 400 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC grew its position in Axsome Therapeutics by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 4,560 shares of the company’s stock worth $319,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank grew its position in Axsome Therapeutics by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 5,229 shares of the company’s stock worth $365,000 after acquiring an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Axsome Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. 81.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Insider Buying and Selling In related news, COO Mark L. Jacobson sold 24,662 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.24, for a total transaction of $1,904,892.88. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Axsome Therapeutics news, COO Mark L. Jacobson sold 24,662 shares of Axsome Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.24, for a total value of $1,904,892.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Roger Jeffs sold 29,976 shares of Axsome Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.70, for a total value of $2,089,327.20. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 120,756 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,416,693.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 24.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of Axsome Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Axsome Therapeutics from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $90.00 to $115.00 in a research report on Monday, April 29th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Axsome Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $111.00 price objective on the stock. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Axsome Therapeutics from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 7th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price objective on Axsome Therapeutics from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Axsome Therapeutics has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $121.92. Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Axsome Therapeutics Axsome Therapeutics Stock Performance Shares of Axsome Therapeutics stock opened at $76.54 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.64 billion, a PE ratio of -12.00 and a beta of 1.13. Axsome Therapeutics, Inc. has a 12 month low of $55.02 and a 12 month high of $98.40. The company has a current ratio of 3.20, a quick ratio of 3.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $73.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $76.45. Axsome Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AXSM – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 20th. The company reported ($0.73) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.21) by $0.48. The business had revenue of $71.53 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.38 million. Axsome Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 87.17% and a negative net margin of 118.07%. On average, research analysts predict that Axsome Therapeutics, Inc. will post -4.66 EPS for the current year. Axsome Therapeutics Company Profile (Free Report) Axsome Therapeutics, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development of novel therapies for central nervous system (CNS) disorders in the United States. The company's commercial product portfolio includes Auvelity (dextromethorphan-bupropion), a N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist with multimodal activity indicated for the treatment of major depressive disorder; and Sunosi (solriamfetol), a medication indicated to the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness in patients with narcolepsy or obstructive sleep apnea.