We recently published a list of 10 Stocks With At Least $20 Million In Insider Spending Recently. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Assembly Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASMB) stands against other stocks with at least $20 million in insider spending recently.
As the stock market navigates a complex environment shaped by recent trade policies, mixed economic signals, and new geopolitical circumstances, investors must remain vigilant. While many experts raise concerns about potential increased volatility under Trump, some analysts believe he is the most pro-stock market president in U.S. history.
On Monday, one day before Trump’s 25% tariffs on goods imported from Canada and Mexico into the U.S. were set to take effect, markets declined. The broader market fell 1.8%, marking its biggest one-day drop of the year, while tech stocks saw a 2.6% decline.
“No room left for Mexico or for Canada,” Trump said at the White House on Monday. “The tariffs, you know, they’re all set. They go into effect tomorrow.”
With no certainty about how long these fluctuations will continue, investors seem to be growing more cautious. While it’s difficult to predict what will happen next, some experts believe that the U.S. Federal Reserve might cut interest rates.
Equity strategists in a Reuters poll project that the broader market will finish the year 9% higher than its current level. Morgan Stanley’s Andrew Slimmon suggests that the adoption of AI could lead to a productivity boom, similar to what happened with the Internet in the late 1990s.
Amid market fluctuations and uncertainty, insider trading also comes into focus. Executives and insiders, with their valuable insights into company strategy, plans, and future moves, may have trades worth analyzing. For example, when a CEO or CFO invests their own money in company shares, it can signal strong confidence in the company’s potential.
However, it is important to highlight that both insider buying and selling can be driven by various motives; therefore, these actions should be considered only within a broader context of the company’s fundamentals, industry trends, and market conditions. This is why due diligence is crucial before making any investment. Insider trading activity, along with other relevant factors, can offer valuable insights into a company’s capabilities, helping investors make more informed decisions.
Today, we will focus on stocks that have seen at least $20 million in insider spending recently. For this purpose, we used Insider Monkey’s insider trading stock screener, focusing on stocks where at least one insider purchase over the last three months was valued at $20 million or more. Although the total value of insider purchases during this period may be higher, only those worth $20 million or more were considered in this search. Since there were more than 10 stocks meeting this criterion, we selected the 10 stocks with insider purchases ranging from $20 million to $35 million, choosing those with the highest amounts within this range for further analysis.
Our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds, focusing on insider trading and stock picks from hedge fund investor newsletters and conferences. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
For each stock, we provide details on the highest individual purchase, the number of insider purchases between $20 million and $35 million over the last three months and the company’s current market capitalization.
A scientist in a lab coat laboring over petri dishes and microscope in a biotechnology laboratory.
Assembly Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASMB)
Highest Individual Purchase: $20,098,463.63
Number of Purchases Worth Between $20 million and $35 million: 1
Market Capitalization: $77.74 million
We begin this list of 10 stocks with significant insider investments recently with a biotechnology company that focuses on developing treatments for viral diseases. Among Assembly Biosciences’ leading candidates is ABI-5366, a long-acting herpes simplex virus helicase-primase inhibitor, which is in Phase 1a/1b clinical trial to treat recurrent genital herpes, and ABI-6250, an orally bioavailable hepatitis delta virus entry inhibitor that is in Phase 1a clinical trial.
In February, the company announced positive interim Phase 1a results in healthy participants from its ongoing Phase 1a/b study of ABI-1179, an investigational long-acting herpes simplex virus (HSV) helicase-primase inhibitor candidate for recurrent genital herpes.
“In Phase 1a, ABI-1179 and ABI-5366 both exceeded our target pharmacokinetic profile for our long-acting helicase-primase inhibitor program, and we are pleased to advance these two promising candidates with the potential to improve treatment outcomes for individuals with recurrent genital herpes,” stated Jason Okazaki, chief executive officer and president of Assembly Biosciences. “We look forward to reporting Phase 1b interim data for both candidates this fall, which will inform critical next steps in our data-driven portfolio strategy for this important indication.”
On December 19, one investor acquired $20.1 million worth of Assembly Biosciences’ shares, at a price of $21.37 per share. The stock is currently trading at $12.23, having declined 22.50% since the beginning of the year.
Two analysts have an average “Buy” rating on Assembly Biosciences stock, according to StockAnalysis. Experts have also set a 12-month price target of $35, reflecting an increase of 186.18% from the previous price.
For the third quarter of 2024, the company reported revenue from collaborative research of $6.8 million, compared to no revenue recognized in the same period of 2023. Net loss attributable to common stockholders was $9.6 million, or $1.51 per basic and diluted share, compared to $14.4 million, or $3.29 per basic and diluted share in the same quarter of the prior year. At the end of the reporting period, cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were $95.0 million, compared to $109.2 million as of June 30, 2024.
Overall, ASMB ranks 10th on our list of stocks with at least $20 million in insider spending recently. While we acknowledge the potential of ASMB as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than ASMB but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and Complete List of 59 AI Companies Under $2 Billion in Market Cap
Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
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