Candel Therapeutics Inc (CADL): Hedge Fund Ownership & Smart Money Signals (Q1 2026)

Q: Is it too late to buy Candel Therapeutics Inc (CADL) following the 2026 Q1 hedge fund 13F filings?

As of today, CADL has moved -7.8% since the 2026 Q1 13F filing date (May 15, 2026), compared to +4.6% for the XLV sector ETF — an outperformance of -12.4%. Since the quarter end (March 31, 2026), CADL gained +65.1% vs +3.6% for XLV. The stock is tracking its sector benchmark closely. The signal remains fresh and the entry point is still near the fund's implied reference.

Candel Therapeutics Inc (CADL)

113 + Investors. Track Smart Money conviction in CADL. See who's accumulating, reducing, or initiating positions.

Smart Money Signals — CADL

Based on 114 hedge funds · latest filing: 2026 Q1 · updated quarterly

📈

Buying streak — 2 quarters in a row

last 6Q

For 2 consecutive quarters, more hedge funds added CADL than sold it. That's a consistent pattern of professional buying — not a one-time trade. When institutions keep buying quarter after quarter, it usually means they see a multi-year opportunity, not just a short-term momentum flip.

🏔️

At the ownership peak (100% of max)

100% of all-time peak

114 hedge funds hold CADL right now — the highest count in 3.0 years. When ownership is this concentrated, any bad news can trigger a chain reaction: one big fund sells, others follow. This is a classic 'crowded trade' — high popularity doesn't equal safety.

🚀

Fast accumulation — +37% more funds vs a year ago

fund count last 6Q

+31 new funds entered over the past year (+37% YoY). That's a rapid rush of institutional money. Fast accumulation often signals a major thesis — but it also means the stock could fall quickly if that thesis breaks.

🟢

More buyers than sellers — 73% buying

80 buying30 selling

Last quarter: 80 funds were net buyers (39 opened a brand new position + 41 added to an existing one). Only 30 were sellers (22 trimmed + 8 sold completely). A clear majority buying is a strong confirmation signal.

📈

More new buyers each quarter (+25 vs last Q)

new funds entering per quarter

Funds opening a new CADL position: 16 → 14 → 14 → 39. A growing influx of new institutional buyers means the asset is still gathering momentum — the consensus hasn't fully saturated yet.

🔄

Mostly new holders — 40% entered in last year

■ 18% conviction (2yr+) ■ 42% medium ■ 40% new

Only 20 funds (18%) have held >2 years. The majority of current holders are relatively new to the position. New holders tend to sell faster when prices drop — a shallow conviction base that could amplify any sell-off.

💎

Buying through price weakness — shares +83%, value +59%

Value

+58%

+83%

Last quarter: funds added +83% more shares while total portfolio value only changed +59%. Institutions were buying while the price was falling — a high-conviction accumulation signal. They're deliberately loading up on the dip.

🚀

Acceleration phase — new buyers rushing in

25 → 16 → 14 → 14 → 39 new funds/Q

New funds entering each quarter: 16 → 14 → 14 → 39. The pace of institutional discovery is accelerating sharply. This is the 'hot idea' phase — the thesis is being passed from fund to fund. You are not late — the accumulation wave is still building.

📊

Mixed cohorts — 23% veterans, 47% new entrants

■ 23% veterans ■ 30% 1-2yr ■ 47% new

Of 117 current holders: 27 (23%) held 2+ years, 35 held 1–2 years, 55 (47%) entered in the past year. Balanced distribution — some institutional memory, some recent momentum buyers.

✅

Strong quality — 36% AUM from major funds

36% from top-100 AUM funds

34 of 113 holders rank in the top 100 by AUM, accounting for 36% of total institutional value held. A meaningful share of the ownership value comes from the most well-resourced institutions.

4.4

out of 10

Moderate Exit Risk

Exit risk score 4.4/10 — some crowding factors present, but no critical concentration. Watch ownership trend over the next 1–2 quarters for direction.

Methodology note: these Smart Money cards use consecutive 13F disclosure snapshots, not trade-by-trade execution data. "Buying", "selling", "new holders", and "trimmed" refer to quarter-over-quarter changes in reported holders, aggregate shares, or disclosed position values between filings. They are useful for ownership regime analysis and crowding, but they do not imply exact trade timing on the filing date.

Metric	All 13F Filers (2026 Q1)	Prior (2025 Q4)	Change
Funds Holding	113	83	36.14%
13F Shares	44M	24M	82.97%
Total Value	$215M	$135M	58.76%
New Positions	38	14	+24
Increased Positions	40	34	+6
Closed Positions	8	11	-3
Reduced Positions	21	17	+4
Total Calls	3	3	-
Total Puts	1	2	-50.0%
PUT/CALL Ratio	0.33	0.67	Bullish

Metric

All 13F Filers (2026 Q1)

Prior (2025 Q4)

Change

Funds Holding

113

36.14%

13F Shares

44M

24M

82.97%

Total Value

$215M

$135M

58.76%

New Positions

+24

Increased Positions

Closed Positions

-3

Reduced Positions

Total Calls

Total Puts

-50.0%

PUT/CALL Ratio

0.33

0.67

Bullish

Institutional Holders (2026 Q1)

113 + investors

Explore institutional interest and hedge fund ownership dynamics. Analyze portfolio weights, new positions, and conviction trends in CADL. Verified SEC 13F-HR filings.

QUARTER:

FILTER:All New Added To Reduced No Change | Overweight >5%

Top 25 CADL holders by conviction (% of portfolio weight) — 2026 Q1 · Source: SEC Form 13F
#	Investor	% of Portfolio	Shares	Mkt Value
1	Acorn Capital Advisors, LLC	4.89%	3,497,948	$17.2M
2	Saturn V Capital Management LP	2.57%	2,896,588	$14.2M
3	Heights Capital Management, Inc	1.06%	775,000	$3.8M
4	Halter Ferguson Financial Inc.	0.97%	904,051	$4.4M
5	Portolan Capital Management, LLC	0.75%	2,894,325	$14.2M
6	Sands Capital Alternatives, LLC	0.47%	405,837	$2.0M
7	Rtw Investments, LP	0.31%	6,422,018	$31.5M
8	Stonepine Capital Management, LLC	0.20%	102,500	$502K
9	AlphaCentric Advisors LLC	0.18%	36,313	$178K
10	Birchview Capital, LP	0.17%	60,000	$294K
11	Vestal Point Capital, LP	0.15%	1,125,000	$5.5M
12	Torrey Growth & Income Advisors	0.13%	67,148	$318K
13	Tanager Wealth Management LLP	0.09%	198,175	$971K
14	Boreal Capital Management LLC	0.06%	16,000	$78K
15	Kynam Capital Management, LP	0.06%	200,000	$980K
16	Taylor Financial Group, Inc.	0.05%	16,600	$81K
17	Ghisallo Capital Management LLC	0.03%	200,000	$980K
18	Axq Capital, LP	0.01%	20,864	$102K
19	Kennedy Capital Management LLC	0.01%	92,625	$454K
20	ExodusPoint Capital Management, LP	0.01%	227,468	$1.1M
21	Belpointe Asset Management LLC	0.01%	45,604	$223K
22	Stratos Wealth Advisors, LLC	0.01%	25,908	$127K
23	Bridgeway Capital Management, LLC	0.01%	75,100	$368K
24	Mirabella Financial Services LLP	0.01%	12,489	$61K
25	Martingale Asset Management L P	0.01%	43,909	$215K

Investor	Ownership History	% of Portfolio	Prev %	Rank	Conviction	Avg Buy Price	13F Score™ 3Y / 7Y	Sell Timing	Shares	Mkt Value	Change	Change %	Source	Quarter	Filed

Frequently Asked Questions — Candel Therapeutics Inc (CADL)

What does the Smart Money Trend signal show for CADL?

Buying streak — 2 quarters in a row: For 2 consecutive quarters, more hedge funds added CADL than sold it. That's a consistent pattern of professional buying — not a one-time trade. When institutions keep buying quarter after quarter, it usually means they see a multi-year opportunity, not just a short-term momentum flip.

What is the institutional breadth score for CADL?

More buyers than sellers — 73% buying: Last quarter: 80 funds were net buyers (39 opened a brand new position + 41 added to an existing one). Only 30 were sellers (22 trimmed + 8 sold completely). A clear majority buying is a strong confirmation signal.

What is the fund quality score for CADL holders?

Strong quality — 36% AUM from major funds: 34 of 113 holders rank in the top 100 by AUM, accounting for 36% of total institutional value held. A meaningful share of the ownership value comes from the most well-resourced institutions.

How long have hedge funds held CADL?

Mostly new holders — 40% entered in last year: Only 20 funds (18%) have held >2 years. The majority of current holders are relatively new to the position. New holders tend to sell faster when prices drop — a shallow conviction base that could amplify any sell-off.

Is it too late to buy Candel Therapeutics Inc (CADL) following the 2026 Q1 hedge fund 13F filings?

As of today, CADL has moved -7.8% since the 2026 Q1 13F filing date (May 15, 2026), compared to +4.6% for the XLV sector ETF — an outperformance of -12.4%. Since the quarter end (March 31, 2026), CADL has gained +65.1% vs +3.6% for XLV. The stock is tracking its sector benchmark closely. The signal remains fresh and the entry point is still near the fund's implied reference.

Where does this institutional ownership data come from?

All holdings data is sourced from SEC Form 13F filings, which institutional investment managers with over $100 million in assets are required to submit quarterly. Data is parsed directly from SEC EDGAR.

Market Cap	--
Enterprise Value	--
Trailing P/E	--
Forward P/E	--
PEG Ratio (5yr expected)	--
Price/Sales (ttm)	--
Price/Book (mrq)	--
Enterprise Value/Revenue	--
Enterprise Value/EBITDA	--
Beta (5Y Monthly)	--
Short Ratio (Days to Cover)	--
Short % of Float	--

Profit Margin	--
Return on Assets (ttm)	--
Return on Equity (ttm)	--

Revenue (ttm)	--
Net Income Avi to Common (ttm)	--
Diluted EPS (ttm)	--
Total Cash (mrq)	--
Total Debt/Equity (mrq)	--
Levered Free Cash Flow (ttm)	--

Candel Therapeutics Inc (CADL)

Smart Money Signals — CADL

Buying streak — 2 quarters in a row

At the ownership peak (100% of max)

Fast accumulation — +37% more funds vs a year ago

More buyers than sellers — 73% buying

More new buyers each quarter (+25 vs last Q)

Mostly new holders — 40% entered in last year

Buying through price weakness — shares +83%, value +59%

Acceleration phase — new buyers rushing in

Mixed cohorts — 23% veterans, 47% new entrants

Strong quality — 36% AUM from major funds

Institutional Sentiment Summary — CADL

Hedge Fund Ownership: CADL

Market Analysis: CADL

Analyst Price Targets

Analyst Recommendations

Stock Performance

Company Profile: CADL

Is It Too Late to Buy Candel Therapeutics Inc (CADL) Based on Hedge Fund 13F Filings?

Hedge Fund Positioning: CADL

Statistics: CADL

Valuation Measures Data as of: --

Financial Highlights

Institutional Holders (2026 Q1)

Frequently Asked Questions — Candel Therapeutics Inc (CADL)

Welcome to 13Foresight!