Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 450,211 Shares of Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:HALO)

Vanguard Group Inc. lowered its stake in Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:HALO - Free Report) by 3.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,831,503 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 450,211 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 10.39% of Halozyme Therapeutics worth $818,778,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HALO. Capital World Investors purchased a new stake in Halozyme Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,773,000. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in Halozyme Therapeutics by 171.2% in the fourth quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 831,414 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $39,750,000 after purchasing an additional 524,802 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Halozyme Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth $21,838,000. LSV Asset Management boosted its stake in shares of Halozyme Therapeutics by 41.9% during the 1st quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 895,191 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $57,122,000 after acquiring an additional 264,130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec boosted its stake in shares of Halozyme Therapeutics by 280.4% during the 4th quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 357,579 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $17,096,000 after acquiring an additional 263,570 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.79% of the company's stock.

Halozyme Therapeutics Price Performance

NASDAQ HALO traded up $0.41 on Thursday, reaching $65.54. The company had a trading volume of 1,598,185 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,793,908. The company has a quick ratio of 7.01, a current ratio of 8.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.08 billion, a PE ratio of 15.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 1.17. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $56.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $58.17. Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. has a 12 month low of $42.01 and a 12 month high of $70.50.

Halozyme Therapeutics (NASDAQ:HALO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $325.72 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $282.66 million. Halozyme Therapeutics had a net margin of 47.28% and a return on equity of 150.85%. Halozyme Therapeutics's revenue for the quarter was up 40.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.91 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. will post 4.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Leerink Partners cut shares of Halozyme Therapeutics from a "market perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $47.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Halozyme Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $55.00 price target on the stock. Leerink Partnrs cut shares of Halozyme Therapeutics from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. HC Wainwright lifted their price target on shares of Halozyme Therapeutics from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, JMP Securities lifted their price target on shares of Halozyme Therapeutics from $78.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $66.56.

Insider Transactions at Halozyme Therapeutics

In other Halozyme Therapeutics news, CEO Helen Torley sold 20,000 shares of Halozyme Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.51, for a total value of $1,270,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 733,719 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,598,493.69. The trade was a 2.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 80,000 shares of company stock valued at $4,532,600. Insiders own 2.40% of the company's stock.

Halozyme Therapeutics Profile

Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc, a biopharma technology platform company, researches, develops, and commercializes proprietary enzymes and devices in the United States, Switzerland, Belgium, Japan, and internationally. The company's products are based on the patented recombinant human hyaluronidase enzyme (rHuPH20) that enables delivery of injectable biologics, such as monoclonal antibodies and other therapeutic molecules, as well as small molecules and fluids.