Alkermes plc (ALKS) - What Are Researchers Saying About This Stock?

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a Moderate Buy consensus on Alkermes, with 12 buy ratings, five holds, one sell and one strong buy among 19 firms. The average 12-month price target is $54.47, above the stock’s cited price of $41.22.
• Recent brokerage commentary was generally positive, including Stifel raising its price target to $63, Robert W. Baird increasing its target to $61 and RBC assigning a $56 target, while HC Wainwright maintained a neutral rating.
• Insiders sold 76,150 shares worth about $3.75 million over the past 90 days, while institutional investors own a substantial 95.21% of the company. Alkermes develops and commercializes central nervous system treatments, including Vivitrol, Aristada, Lybalvi and Exservan.

Shares of Alkermes plc (NASDAQ:ALKS - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the nineteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $54.47.

A number of brokerages recently commented on ALKS. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Alkermes in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Stifel Nicolaus restated a "buy" rating and set a $63.00 price target (up from $45.00) on shares of Alkermes in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $56.00 price target on shares of Alkermes in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Alkermes from $58.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Alkermes in a research note on Monday, September 21st.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Craig Hopkinson sold 9,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.99, for a total transaction of $422,910.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 65,389 shares in the company, valued at $3,072,629.11. This trade represents a 12.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP David Gaffin sold 2,034 shares of Alkermes stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.03, for a total value of $83,455.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 221,388 shares in the company, valued at $9,083,549.64. This trade represents a 0.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 76,150 shares of company stock worth $3,752,181. Insiders own 4.59% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Alkermes

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Alkermes by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,090 shares of the company's stock valued at $287,000 after buying an additional 385 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in Alkermes during the 2nd quarter valued at $113,000. Baird Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Alkermes in the 2nd quarter worth $2,791,000. Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in Alkermes by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 43,580 shares of the company's stock worth $2,283,000 after acquiring an additional 494 shares during the last quarter. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new stake in Alkermes in the 2nd quarter worth $1,733,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.21% of the company's stock.

Alkermes Price Performance

Shares of Alkermes stock opened at $41.22 on Friday. Alkermes has a 52-week low of $27.00 and a 52-week high of $55.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 108.48 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a fifty day moving average of $45.02 and a 200-day moving average of $43.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 1.85 and a current ratio of 2.30.

Alkermes Company Profile

Alkermes plc is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing medicines for central nervous system diseases. The company's portfolio addresses conditions including addiction, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), with an emphasis on long-acting injectable, extended-release and other drug-delivery technologies.

Its marketed products include Vivitrol, an extended-release injectable formulation of naltrexone used to treat alcohol dependence and prevent opioid dependence relapse; Aristada, a long-acting injectable formulation of aripiprazole lauroxil for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults; Lybalvi, an oral combination of olanzapine and samidorphan for schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder; and Exservan, an oral film formulation of riluzole for ALS.

Founded in 1987, Alkermes is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, with operations and corporate offices in the United States, including Waltham, Massachusetts.

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