683 Capital Management LLC Boosts Holdings in uniQure N.V. $QURE

Key Points

• 683 Capital Management LLC increased its stake in uniQure N.V. by 1.6%, owning 1,550,000 shares as of the first quarter, making it the firm's 18th largest position.
• Other institutional investors also significantly increased their holdings in uniQure, including Vestal Point Capital LP with a 58.4% increase.
• uniQure recently reported mixed quarterly earnings, with earnings per share at ($0.69), beating analysts’ expectations, while the company continues to forecast a negative return on equity for the year.

683 Capital Management LLC raised its position in uniQure N.V. (NASDAQ:QURE - Free Report) by 1.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,550,000 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after acquiring an additional 25,000 shares during the period. uniQure makes up approximately 1.1% of 683 Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. 683 Capital Management LLC owned 2.83% of uniQure worth $16,430,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in shares of uniQure by 355.2% during the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 334,894 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $3,550,000 after buying an additional 261,323 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in uniQure by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 95,591 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $1,688,000 after acquiring an additional 1,923 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. acquired a new position in uniQure during the first quarter worth about $3,218,000. Bellevue Group AG acquired a new position in uniQure in the 4th quarter valued at about $397,000. Finally, Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in uniQure in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,484,000. 78.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

uniQure Stock Up 1.2%

QURE traded up $0.22 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $17.95. 2,079,419 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 834,626. uniQure N.V. has a 12-month low of $4.45 and a 12-month high of $19.18. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $14.98 and a 200 day moving average of $13.80. The firm has a market cap of $984.86 million, a P/E ratio of -4.58 and a beta of 0.14. The company has a current ratio of 9.98, a quick ratio of 9.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53.

uniQure (NASDAQ:QURE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.69) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.89) by $0.20. uniQure had a negative net margin of 1,387.98% and a negative return on equity of 1,010.74%. The firm had revenue of $5.26 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.00 million. Analysts predict that uniQure N.V. will post -3.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on QURE. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $47.00 price target on shares of uniQure in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of uniQure in a research note on Friday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of uniQure from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Chardan Capital reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of uniQure in a research note on Friday, August 29th. Finally, Mizuho raised shares of uniQure from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $30.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, uniQure currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $37.45.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Jeannette Potts sold 4,670 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.14, for a total transaction of $70,703.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 115,073 shares in the company, valued at $1,742,205.22. This represents a 3.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director David D. Meek sold 2,112 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.45, for a total transaction of $30,518.40. Following the sale, the director owned 34,190 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $494,045.50. This represents a 5.82% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 22,144 shares of company stock worth $322,426. 4.79% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

uniQure Profile

uniQure N.V. develops treatments for patients suffering from rare and other devastating diseases. It offers HEMGENIX that has completed Phase III HOPE-B pivotal trial for the treatment of hemophilia B. The company also develops AMT-130, a gene therapy that is in Phase I/II clinical study for the treatment of Huntington's disease.