XOMA Co. (NASDAQ:XOMA) Short Interest Up 23.4% in December

XOMA Co. (NASDAQ:XOMA) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 139,000 shares, an increase of 23.4% from the November 30th total of 112,600 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 29,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.8 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on XOMA shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of XOMA from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $123.00 target price on shares of XOMA in a research report on Friday, December 13th.

XOMA Stock Performance

NASDAQ:XOMA opened at $26.30 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $29.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $27.87. The company has a current ratio of 7.52, a quick ratio of 7.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. XOMA has a 12-month low of $18.24 and a 12-month high of $35.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $309.89 million, a P/E ratio of -7.56 and a beta of 0.88.

Insider Buying and Selling at XOMA

In other XOMA news, CEO Owen Hughes sold 21,881 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.95, for a total value of $655,335.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 34,979 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,047,621.05. The trade was a 38.48 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 7.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On XOMA

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of XOMA. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in XOMA by 95.0% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,632 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 795 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in shares of XOMA by 16.0% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 9,695 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $230,000 after purchasing an additional 1,334 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of XOMA by 300.7% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 11,256 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $298,000 after buying an additional 8,447 shares in the last quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of XOMA during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $516,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of XOMA by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 62,656 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,484,000 after buying an additional 1,968 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.92% of the company’s stock.

About XOMA

XOMA Corporation operates as a biotech royalty aggregator in the United States and the Asia Pacific. It has a portfolio of economic rights to future potential milestone and royalty payments associated with partnered commercial and pre-commercial therapeutic candidates. The company also focuses on early to mid-stage clinical assets primarily in Phase 1 and 2 with commercial sales potential that are licensed to partners; and acquires milestone and royalty revenue streams on late-stage clinical or commercial assets.