BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $BCRX Shares Sold by DAFNA Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• DAFNA Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 16.3%, now holding 558,255 shares which represents about 1.2% of its portfolio.
• BioCryst Pharmaceuticals reported a 49.5% increase in quarterly revenue year-over-year, reaching $163.35 million, along with earnings per share of $0.15, surpassing expectations.
• Currently, nine investment analysts have rated BioCryst Pharmaceuticals as a "Moderate Buy", with an average target price of $16.70.

DAFNA Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:BCRX - Free Report) by 16.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 558,255 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 108,745 shares during the quarter. BioCryst Pharmaceuticals comprises approximately 1.2% of DAFNA Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. DAFNA Capital Management LLC owned about 0.27% of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals worth $4,187,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its position in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 14.6% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,499,812 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $18,799,000 after buying an additional 318,800 shares during the last quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. raised its stake in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 82.4% in the 1st quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 2,148,969 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $16,117,000 after purchasing an additional 971,040 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,004,911 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $15,077,000 after acquiring an additional 143,986 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its stake in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 1,774,214 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $13,342,000 after acquiring an additional 13,406 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in the 1st quarter worth $10,677,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.88% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BCRX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and set a $30.00 price objective on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Bank of America raised their target price on BioCryst Pharmaceuticals from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $13.00 target price on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, June 30th. Wedbush boosted their price objective on BioCryst Pharmaceuticals from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, June 30th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $17.00 target price on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday, August 4th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $16.70.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals stock remained flat at $8.29 during midday trading on Wednesday. The company had a trading volume of 3,929,116 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,731,116. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.74 billion, a P/E ratio of -46.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.13. The company's 50-day moving average is $8.60 and its 200-day moving average is $8.77. BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $6.01 and a 1 year high of $11.31.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:BCRX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 4th. The biotechnology company reported $0.15 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.03 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $163.35 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $149.59 million. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 49.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($0.06) EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -0.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at BioCryst Pharmaceuticals

In other BioCryst Pharmaceuticals news, Director Theresa Heggie sold 70,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.51, for a total value of $595,700.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 65,352 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $556,145.52. This trade represents a 51.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 5.10% of the company's stock.

About BioCryst Pharmaceuticals

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a biotechnology company, develops oral small-molecule and protein therapeutics to treat rare diseases. The company markets peramivir injection, an intravenous neuraminidase inhibitor for the treatment of acute uncomplicated influenza under the RAPIVAB, RAPIACTA, and PERAMIFLU names; and ORLADEYO, an oral serine protease inhibitor to treat hereditary angioedema.