BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:BCRX) Hits New 1-Year Low - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• BioCryst Pharmaceuticals' stock price reached a new 52-week low of $6.00 before closing at $6.42, reflecting an 8.8% decline.
• Despite the recent drop, several analysts have upgraded the stock, with Zacks Research shifting from a "hold" to a "strong-buy" rating and a consensus price target of $16.30.
• In its latest earnings report, BioCryst reported $0.15 EPS, exceeding estimates, and marked a 49.5% year-over-year revenue growth with earnings of $163.35 million.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:BCRX - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $6.00 and last traded at $6.42, with a volume of 36933905 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $7.04.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $13.00 price objective on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday, June 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded BioCryst Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and issued a $17.00 price target on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, August 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $16.30.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 8.8%

The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $7.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $8.66. The firm has a market cap of $1.35 billion, a PE ratio of -35.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.05.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:BCRX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 4th. The biotechnology company reported $0.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.03 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $163.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $149.59 million. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.06) EPS. The business's revenue was up 49.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -0.36 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at BioCryst Pharmaceuticals

In related news, Director Theresa Heggie sold 70,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.51, for a total transaction of $595,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 65,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $556,145.52. This represents a 51.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 5.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BCRX. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its position in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 9.6% during the first quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 13,700 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $103,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH grew its holdings in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 7.7% during the 2nd quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 17,992 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $161,000 after buying an additional 1,288 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 63,463 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $476,000 after acquiring an additional 1,458 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its position in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 7.4% in the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 22,105 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $198,000 after purchasing an additional 1,527 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Main Management ETF Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Main Management ETF Advisors LLC now owns 112,128 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $1,005,000 after buying an additional 1,824 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.88% of the company's stock.

About BioCryst Pharmaceuticals

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a biotechnology company, develops oral small-molecule and protein therapeutics to treat rare diseases. The company markets peramivir injection, an intravenous neuraminidase inhibitor for the treatment of acute uncomplicated influenza under the RAPIVAB, RAPIACTA, and PERAMIFLU names; and ORLADEYO, an oral serine protease inhibitor to treat hereditary angioedema.

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