Why Shares of Fate Therapeutics Soared This Week

What happened

Shares of Fate Therapeutics (NASDAQ:FATE) were up by 23.7% for the week as of Friday afternoon, after being as high as 30.8% for the week, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence. The clinical-stage biotech is still down more than 44% this year.

So what

The company focuses on cellular immunotherapies to treat cancers and immune disorders. Late last week, the stock received an upgrade from Mizuho (NYSE:MFG) analyst Mara Goldstein, who maintained her buy rating with a price target of $12. The stock didn't really jump this week as much as bounce back from falling late last week after the company announced it was selling $175 million worth of stock.

Now what

The company's financials have improved significantly, with revenue increasing 980% over the past 11 quarters. In the first quarter, management said that it was restructuring its pipeline and that it had revenue of $59 million, up from $18.4 million in the same quarter a year ago.

All of the revenue was from collaborations, with $52.3 million associated with the end of its collaboration with Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, and $6.7 million from Fate Therapeutics' ongoing collaboration with Ono Pharmaceutical.

The biotech also reported a loss of $18.8 million, compared to a loss of $65.7 million in the same period last year. The company said it had $426 million in cash, enough to fund operations into the second half of 2025.

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Jim Halley has positions in Johnson & Johnson. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Fate Therapeutics. The Motley Fool recommends Johnson & Johnson. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.