Aprea Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:APRE) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Aprea Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:APRE) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 117,100 shares, a growth of 66.8% from the February 29th total of 70,200 shares. Currently, 3.8% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 35,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.3 days.

Aprea Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of APRE opened at $6.07 on Thursday. Aprea Therapeutics has a 52-week low of $2.78 and a 52-week high of $8.85. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $6.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $4.99. The firm has a market cap of $22.68 million, a PE ratio of -1.52 and a beta of 1.05.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

APRE has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wedbush upped their target price on Aprea Therapeutics from $9.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $20.00 price target on shares of Aprea Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday.

Insider Activity at Aprea Therapeutics

In related news, Director Bernd R. Seizinger bought 6,860 shares of Aprea Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $7.29 per share, for a total transaction of $50,009.40. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 33,685 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $245,563.65. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders have purchased 9,870 shares of company stock worth $71,952 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 20.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aprea Therapeutics

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its position in shares of Aprea Therapeutics by 5.7% during the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 297,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $554,000 after purchasing an additional 15,977 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aprea Therapeutics during the second quarter worth approximately $54,000. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC acquired a new position in shares of Aprea Therapeutics during the third quarter worth approximately $40,000. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in shares of Aprea Therapeutics by 35.7% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 164,626 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 43,293 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aprea Therapeutics during the second quarter worth approximately $74,000. 34.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Aprea Therapeutics

Aprea Therapeutics, Inc, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing and commercializing synthetic lethality-based cancer therapeutics that targets DNA damage response pathways. Its lead product candidate is the ATRN-119 that is in Phase I clinical trials for treating advanced solid tumors, ovarian, breast, and prostate cancers.