Ameriprise Financial Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. (NASDAQ:OCUL)

Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. (NASDAQ:OCUL - Free Report) by 82.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 89,772 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 40,700 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of Ocular Therapeutix worth $767,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in OCUL. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ocular Therapeutix in the fourth quarter valued at about $43,000. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ocular Therapeutix in the fourth quarter valued at about $53,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in shares of Ocular Therapeutix by 2,045.0% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 8,859 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 8,446 shares during the period. Walleye Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ocular Therapeutix in the fourth quarter valued at about $90,000. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Ocular Therapeutix in the fourth quarter valued at about $99,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 59.21% of the company's stock.

Ocular Therapeutix Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of OCUL traded up $0.05 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $8.38. The company had a trading volume of 1,287,162 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,406,136. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $7.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $7.89. The company has a quick ratio of 12.94, a current ratio of 13.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. has a 1-year low of $4.79 and a 1-year high of $11.78. The stock has a market cap of $1.33 billion, a PE ratio of -6.35 and a beta of 1.51.

Ocular Therapeutix (NASDAQ:OCUL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, March 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.29) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.24) by ($0.05). Ocular Therapeutix had a negative return on equity of 45.18% and a negative net margin of 283.74%. The company had revenue of $17.08 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.89 million. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. will post -0.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Pravin Dugel sold 21,219 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.18, for a total value of $152,352.42. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,499,099 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $25,123,530.82. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Richard L. Md Lindstrom bought 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 8th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $6.96 per share, for a total transaction of $69,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 172,704 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,202,019.84. The trade was a 6.15% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 29,079 shares of company stock valued at $208,739. Insiders own 2.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on OCUL shares. JMP Securities set a $19.00 price objective on shares of Ocular Therapeutix in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $15.00 price target on shares of Ocular Therapeutix in a report on Thursday, May 29th. William Blair began coverage on shares of Ocular Therapeutix in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. They set an "outperform" rating for the company. Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on shares of Ocular Therapeutix in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $17.00 price target for the company. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on shares of Ocular Therapeutix from $15.00 to $14.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $16.25.

Ocular Therapeutix Profile

Ocular Therapeutix, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the formulation, development, and commercialization of therapies for diseases and conditions of the eye using its bioresorbable hydrogel-based formulation technology in the United States. The company markets DEXTENZA, a dexamethasone ophthalmic insert to treat post-surgical ocular inflammation and pain following ophthalmic surgery, as well as allergic conjunctivitis.