The stock of Pliant Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:PLRX) decreased by -$0.75 on Friday to finish at $18.03, down -3.99 percent. The last five days have seen an average of 685,240 shares of common stock traded. 6 times new highs were reached in the current year, with a fall of -$1.30. The average number of shares traded over the last 20 days was 734,495, while the average volume over the last 50 days totaled 877,156.
PLRX stock dropped -2.54% since last month. On 07/28/23, the company’s shares reached a one-month low of $16.77. The stock touched a high of $36.64 on 01/27/23, after rallying from a low of $16.42 in 52 weeks. The price of PLRX stock has declined by -6.73% or -$1.30 this year, reaching a new high 6 times. Still, the stock price is down -50.79% from the 52-week high.
Insider Transactions
PLRX stock investors should be aware that Pliant Therapeutics Inc. (PLRX) stock had its last reported insider trading activity 10 days ago on Aug 04. On Aug 04, Chief Business Officer Hull Hans sold 20,050 shares at $20.01 each. This transaction resulted in the insider making $401,201. On Aug 03, Hull Hans sold 13,069 shares at a price of US$20.00. After the transaction, the insider now owns 206,114 shares. General Counsel & Corp. Sec’y Ouimette Mike had earlier sold 4,755 shares on Jul 20 for $17.55 a share. The transaction was completed for $83,450.
Valuation Metrics
Beta for the stock is 1.22. There are also a few other valuation ratios worth considering, including the trailing price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of 222.20, the price-to-book (PB) ratio of 2.00.
Financial Health
For the recent quarter, Pliant Therapeutics Inc.’s quick ratio was 19.20, while its current ratio was 19.20, indicating its ability to pay off its debt. The company’s long-term debt to equity ratio for the recent quarter is 0.02, and the total debt to equity ratio is 0.02. Based on annual data, it had gross profit of $136.88 million and revenue of $9.69 million.
Investors will also look at the performance of the company’s management in order to determine the potential profitability of their investment. PLRX’s return on assets (ROA) during the last 12 months has been -30.40%. There was a -39.40% return on investment (ROI) in the past year. In the meantime, the return on equity (ROE) for the last 12 months was -33.10%.
Earnings Surprise
A lower net income was reported in the quarter under review than the previous quarter. Net income for the quarter came in at $0.25 million, while revenues fell by -1896.0% to $1.33 million. EBITDA was -$50.78 million for the quarter. At the end of Pliant Therapeutics Inc.’s most recent quarter, its liabilities totaled 41.83 million, while its total debt was $14.54 million. Equity owned by shareholders amounts to $59.83 million.
Technical Picture
Here’s a quick look at Pliant Therapeutics Inc.’s (PLRX) price momentum from a technical perspective. As of 11 August, the RSI 9-day stood at 45.92%, suggesting the stock is Neutral, with a 68.80% historical volatility rate.
The stochastic %K and %D were 45.09% and 46.05% respectively, while the average true range (ATR) was 1.04. Based on the 14-day stochastic reading of 36.42%, the RSI (14) reading is 45.59%. On the 9-day MACD Oscillator, the stock is at -0.34, and the 14-day reading is at 0.14.
Analyst Ratings
In its analyst report released on May 18, 2023, Canaccord Genuity began covering Pliant Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: PLRX). The stock was rated as a Buy by the brokerage firm. Analysts have assigned Pliant Therapeutics Inc. (PLRX) an Buy rating. PLRX is a stock that is recommended for selling by 0 brokerage firms, while 0 companies recommend holding. The stock is underweighted by 0 analysts. Among the analysts who rate the stock, 1 rate it overweight and 13 others recommend it as a buy.
What is PLRX’s price target for the next 12 months?
The current consensus forecast for the stock is between $35.00 and $63.00, with a median target price of $48.00. In analyzing these forecasts, the average price target given by analysts for Pliant Therapeutics Inc. (PLRX) is $48.08.
