Kura Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ:KURA) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is moderately bullish: Twelve brokerages rate Kura Oncology “Moderate Buy,” including ten buys, one hold and one sell. The average 12-month price target is $25.40, versus a recent share price of $11.30.
• Kura reported a quarterly loss of $0.77 per share, beating the expected $0.88 loss, while revenue of $20.87 million exceeded estimates of $20.16 million. Analysts expect a full-year loss of approximately $3.25 per share.
• Insiders have been selling shares: Company insiders sold 120,761 shares worth about $1.28 million over the past 90 days, while insiders retain a 7.6% ownership stake.

Kura Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ:KURA - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twelve brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation and ten have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $25.40.

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. CLSA set a $24.00 price objective on shares of Kura Oncology in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Kura Oncology in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Raymond James Financial set a $24.00 price target on shares of Kura Oncology in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Citigroup reiterated a "market outperform" rating on shares of Kura Oncology in a report on Monday, August 24th. Finally, Citizens Jmp reissued a "market outperform" rating and set a $24.00 target price on shares of Kura Oncology in a research note on Monday, August 24th.

Kura Oncology Price Performance

NASDAQ:KURA opened at $11.30 on Wednesday. Kura Oncology has a one year low of $7.36 and a one year high of $13.90. The stock has a market cap of $1.01 billion, a PE ratio of -3.35 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 4.71 and a current ratio of 4.73. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $11.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $9.99.

Kura Oncology (NASDAQ:KURA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 12th. The company reported ($0.77) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.88) by $0.11. Kura Oncology had a negative return on equity of 207.18% and a negative net margin of 384.30%.The company had revenue of $20.87 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.16 million. Equities research analysts expect that Kura Oncology will post -3.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kura Oncology news, insider Brian T. Powl sold 4,345 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.89, for a total transaction of $51,662.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 169,269 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,012,608.41. This trade represents a 2.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Teresa Bair sold 31,487 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.63, for a total transaction of $397,680.81. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 195,444 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,468,457.72. This trade represents a 13.88% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 120,761 shares of company stock valued at $1,283,346 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kura Oncology

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in Kura Oncology by 115.3% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,398 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,284 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in Kura Oncology by 59.9% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,146 shares of the company's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,553 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Kura Oncology by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 18,572 shares of the company's stock worth $193,000 after purchasing an additional 1,692 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Kura Oncology by 49.0% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,742 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 1,888 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in Kura Oncology by 11.0% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 23,297 shares of the company's stock valued at $194,000 after purchasing an additional 2,304 shares in the last quarter.

About Kura Oncology

Kura Oncology, Inc is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing precision medicines for the treatment of cancer. The company's research programs target specific genetic and molecular abnormalities that contribute to tumor growth, with an emphasis on hematologic malignancies and selected solid tumors.

Kura's leading program has been ziftomenib, an oral, selective menin inhibitor being developed for genetically defined forms of acute myeloid leukemia, including cancers with NPM1 mutations or certain KMT2A rearrangements.

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