Marshall Wace LLP Has $14.12 Million Stake in Blueprint Medicines Co. (NASDAQ:BPMC)

Marshall Wace LLP lessened its stake in Blueprint Medicines Co. (NASDAQ:BPMC - Free Report) by 51.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 161,882 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 171,885 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP owned approximately 0.25% of Blueprint Medicines worth $14,119,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Empirical Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Blueprint Medicines during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,348,000. Cerity Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Blueprint Medicines in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $291,000. Stephens Inc. AR acquired a new stake in shares of Blueprint Medicines during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $321,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in Blueprint Medicines by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 303,432 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $26,465,000 after purchasing an additional 7,101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in Blueprint Medicines by 63.9% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,625 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 1,023 shares during the period.

Blueprint Medicines Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BPMC traded up $1.57 on Friday, reaching $87.66. 679,412 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 769,836. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 2.85 and a quick ratio of 2.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.60 billion, a PE ratio of -81.17 and a beta of 0.75. The company's 50 day moving average is $87.57 and its 200-day moving average is $93.10. Blueprint Medicines Co. has a fifty-two week low of $73.04 and a fifty-two week high of $121.90.

Blueprint Medicines (NASDAQ:BPMC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.79) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.68) by ($0.11). Blueprint Medicines had a negative return on equity of 77.49% and a negative net margin of 13.19%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Blueprint Medicines Co. will post -1.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on BPMC. StockNews.com cut shares of Blueprint Medicines from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. JMP Securities reissued a "market outperform" rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of Blueprint Medicines in a report on Friday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Blueprint Medicines in a report on Monday, March 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $135.00 target price for the company. Scotiabank initiated coverage on Blueprint Medicines in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a "sector outperform" rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Blueprint Medicines in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Blueprint Medicines currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $124.95.

Insider Buying and Selling at Blueprint Medicines

In related news, insider Ariel Hurley sold 3,203 shares of Blueprint Medicines stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.62, for a total transaction of $296,661.86. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 18,270 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,692,167.40. This trade represents a 14.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Christina Rossi sold 2,274 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.02, for a total value of $216,075.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 69,266 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,581,655.32. The trade was a 3.18 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 4.21% of the company's stock.

Blueprint Medicines Profile

Blueprint Medicines Corporation, a precision therapy company, develops medicines for genomically defined cancers and blood disorders in the United States and internationally. The company is developing AYVAKIT for the treatment of systemic mastocytosis (SM) and gastrointestinal stromal tumors; BLU-263, an orally available, potent, and KIT inhibitor for the treatment of indolent SM, and other mast cell disorders.