Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ:CERS) Short Interest Up 38.9% in August

Key Points

• Cerus Corporation experienced a significant increase in short interest, rising by 38.9% in August, totaling 9,740,000 shares as of August 15th.
• The company reported a loss of ($0.03) earnings per share for the last quarter, missing analysts' estimates, but exceeded revenue expectations with $60.10 million in revenue.
• Institutional investors now own approximately 78.37% of Cerus’ shares, indicating strong institutional interest in the biotechnology firm.

Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ:CERS - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in August. As of August 15th, there was short interest totaling 9,740,000 shares, an increase of 38.9% from the July 31st total of 7,010,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,240,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 7.9 days. Based on an average daily volume of 1,240,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 7.9 days.

Cerus Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CERS traded down $0.02 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $1.23. 685,808 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,113,494. Cerus has a 52 week low of $1.12 and a 52 week high of $2.24. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $1.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 2.00 and a quick ratio of 1.35. The company has a market cap of $235.79 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.30 and a beta of 1.63.

Cerus (NASDAQ:CERS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.03) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.02) by ($0.01). Cerus had a negative net margin of 9.81% and a negative return on equity of 33.77%. The company had revenue of $60.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $51.80 million. Cerus has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Cerus will post -0.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cerus

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Stifel Financial Corp raised its position in Cerus by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 282,350 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $435,000 after acquiring an additional 17,678 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in Cerus by 17.4% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 234,277 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $361,000 after acquiring an additional 34,694 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Cerus by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,634,780 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $2,518,000 after acquiring an additional 18,878 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC raised its position in Cerus by 37.6% in the fourth quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 409,408 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $630,000 after acquiring an additional 111,858 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Cerus in the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. 78.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Cerus

Cerus Corporation operates as a biomedical products company. The company focuses on developing and commercializing the INTERCEPT Blood System to enhance blood safety. Its INTERCEPT Blood System, a proprietary technology for controlling biological replication that is designed to reduce blood-borne pathogens in donated blood components intended for transfusion.