Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:XENE) Shares Acquired by Alliancebernstein L.P.

Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:XENE) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,443,180 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,445 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P.’s holdings in Xenon Pharmaceuticals were worth $56,573,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Xenon Pharmaceuticals by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,843,447 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $151,317,000 after acquiring an additional 15,226 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals by 38.9% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,356,895 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $53,190,000 after purchasing an additional 380,112 shares during the period. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Xenon Pharmaceuticals by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 848,850 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $33,275,000 after buying an additional 70,557 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC increased its holdings in Xenon Pharmaceuticals by 39.0% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 801,553 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $31,421,000 after buying an additional 224,892 shares during the period. Finally, Candriam S.C.A. raised its position in Xenon Pharmaceuticals by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 492,181 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $19,293,000 after buying an additional 28,320 shares during the last quarter. 95.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Ian Mortimer sold 16,315 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.50, for a total transaction of $660,757.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 31,302 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,267,731. The trade was a 34.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 5.52% of the company’s stock.

Xenon Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 4.3 %

Shares of XENE opened at $29.40 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.25 billion, a P/E ratio of -10.43 and a beta of 1.21. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $36.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.43. Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. has a 12 month low of $29.20 and a 12 month high of $46.00.

Xenon Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:XENE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.84) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.89) by $0.05. Equities research analysts forecast that Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. will post -3.1 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on XENE shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $67.00 price objective on the stock. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $53.00 price target on shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, February 24th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Xenon Pharmaceuticals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $57.38.

Xenon Pharmaceuticals Profile

Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc, a neuroscience-focused biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development of therapeutics to treat patients with neurological disorders in Canada. Its clinical development pipeline includes XEN1101, a novel and potent Kv7 potassium channel opener, which is in Phase 3 clinical trials for the treatment of epilepsy and other neurological disorders.