Crescent Biopharma (NASDAQ:CBIO) Shares Up 4.9% – Here’s Why

Posted by Brian Himes on Aug 17th, 2026

Crescent Biopharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:CBIO – Get Free Report)’s stock price rose 4.9% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $17.71 and last traded at $17.44. 6,450 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 98% from the average session volume of 274,335 shares. The stock had previously closed at $16.63.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CBIO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Crescent Biopharma in a research report on Friday, August 7th. HC Wainwright restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Crescent Biopharma in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $29.40.

View Our Latest Research Report on Crescent Biopharma

Crescent Biopharma Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $658.49 million, a PE ratio of -2.64 and a beta of 1.23. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $16.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $16.09.

Crescent Biopharma (NASDAQ:CBIO – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.74) EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.74). As a group, research analysts anticipate that Crescent Biopharma, Inc. will post -2.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Crescent Biopharma

In related news, CEO Joshua T. Brumm sold 42,305 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.99, for a total value of $761,066.95. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 281,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,059,003.88. This represents a 13.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, COO Jonathan Mcneill sold 20,549 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.99, for a total transaction of $369,676.51. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 139,158 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,503,452.42. This represents a 12.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 68,156 shares of company stock worth $1,226,126. 24.84% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Crescent Biopharma

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jennison Associates LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Crescent Biopharma in the 1st quarter valued at $2,810,000. Exome Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Crescent Biopharma in the first quarter worth about $2,814,000. Fcpm Iii Services B.V. bought a new stake in shares of Crescent Biopharma during the 4th quarter worth about $19,899,000. NEXTBio Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Crescent Biopharma during the 4th quarter valued at about $4,422,000. Finally, BVF Inc. IL raised its stake in shares of Crescent Biopharma by 98.1% in the 4th quarter. BVF Inc. IL now owns 2,748,763 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $32,600,000 after acquiring an additional 1,360,900 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.19% of the company’s stock.

Crescent Biopharma Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Crescent Biopharma, Inc (NASDAQ: CBIO) is a clinical‐stage immuno‐oncology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapies for patients with solid tumors. The company’s research strategy centers on combination approaches that enhance anti‐tumor immune responses by simultaneously targeting multiple pathways implicated in immune evasion and tumor growth.

The company’s lead candidate, CPB-201, is a bifunctional fusion protein designed to block programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) while neutralizing transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), with the goal of restoring T-cell activity and reducing tumor fibrosis.