Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. $NBIX Shares Sold by Aberdeen Group plc

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc cut its stake in Neurocrine by 55.6%, selling 50,029 shares and retaining 40,016 shares valued at about $5.675 million.
• Neurocrine agreed to buy Soleno Therapeutics for $2.9 billion, adding Vykat XR and prompting multiple analyst price-target raises and Buy ratings, though investors flag integration, launch and valuation risks.
• CEO Kyle Gano sold 36,400 shares (about a 20.6% reduction in his holding); the stock trades near $133 with a market cap of $13.36 billion and a consensus target of about $180.70 (Moderate Buy).

Aberdeen Group plc reduced its position in Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:NBIX - Free Report) by 55.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 40,016 shares of the company's stock after selling 50,029 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc's holdings in Neurocrine Biosciences were worth $5,675,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of NBIX. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Neurocrine Biosciences by 83.7% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,773,648 shares of the company's stock valued at $388,435,000 after acquiring an additional 1,263,633 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Neurocrine Biosciences by 11.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,730,152 shares of the company's stock worth $664,019,000 after purchasing an additional 468,405 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP acquired a new stake in shares of Neurocrine Biosciences during the third quarter worth $48,791,000. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. acquired a new stake in shares of Neurocrine Biosciences during the second quarter worth $42,933,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in shares of Neurocrine Biosciences by 228.9% during the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 411,660 shares of the company's stock worth $57,789,000 after purchasing an additional 286,498 shares during the period. 92.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Neurocrine Biosciences News

Here are the key news stories impacting Neurocrine Biosciences this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Acquisition — Neurocrine agreed to buy Soleno Therapeutics for $2.9 billion, adding Vykat XR (a treatment for a rare metabolic disorder) and diversifying Neurocrine’s endocrinology/rare-disease portfolio; investors see this as near-term revenue and pipeline upside. GEN: Neurocrine grows with Soleno buyout
• Positive Sentiment: Deal details/valuation impact — Coverage notes the Soleno deal adds Vykat XR and alters Neurocrine’s valuation story by bringing a commercial asset that shortens time to value. Yahoo: Soleno deal adds Vykat XR
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support — Multiple firms raised price targets and maintained Buy/outperform ratings (Needham reaffirmed Buy), signaling increased analyst conviction that management’s M&A and execution justify higher valuations. Needham reaffirms Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Broker upgrades — Citi raised its target sharply to $242, HC Wainwright, Canaccord, Wedbush and others lifted targets or reiterated Buys, boosting consensus upside and likely supporting the rally. Benzinga: multiple price-target raises
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation discussion — Coverage highlights that long-term returns have outpaced a richer earnings multiple; investors should weigh growth from the Soleno acquisition against an elevated valuation. Yahoo: assessing NBIX valuation
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory/launch prioritization — Soleno withdrew its EU marketing application ahead of the takeover as Neurocrine prioritizes a U.S. launch; this focuses resources on the larger U.S. commercial opportunity but delays/forgoes near-term EU upside. Reuters: Soleno withdraws EU application Economic Times: EU withdrawal
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term pipeline lull risk — Analysts note the acquisition helps diversify growth but flag a near-term pipeline lull and integration/launch execution risk, which could pressure the stock if commercial uptake or synergies are slower than expected. TipRanks: acquisition offsets near-term lull

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Neurocrine Biosciences in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Neurocrine Biosciences from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Neurocrine Biosciences in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $160.00 price target for the company. HC Wainwright increased their price target on Neurocrine Biosciences from $192.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price target on Neurocrine Biosciences from $164.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $180.70.

Neurocrine Biosciences Stock Performance

NASDAQ:NBIX opened at $133.15 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $131.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $138.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.57, a PEG ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.35. Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. has a 1 year low of $84.23 and a 1 year high of $160.18.

Neurocrine Biosciences (NASDAQ:NBIX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.36 by ($0.48). The business had revenue of $805.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $804.21 million. Neurocrine Biosciences had a return on equity of 16.48% and a net margin of 16.73%.The company's revenue was up 28.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.69 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. will post 4.28 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Neurocrine Biosciences

In other Neurocrine Biosciences news, CEO Kyle Gano sold 36,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.70, for a total value of $4,830,280.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 140,407 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,632,008.90. This represents a 20.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 4.80% of the company's stock.

Neurocrine Biosciences Profile

Neurocrine Biosciences NASDAQ: NBIX is a biopharmaceutical company based in San Diego, California, focused on developing treatments for neurological, endocrine and neuropsychiatric disorders. Since its founding in 1992, the company has pursued a research‐driven strategy aimed at addressing unmet medical needs in movement disorders, reproductive health and central nervous system conditions. Neurocrine's operations encompass drug discovery, clinical development and commercialization activities.

The company's lead marketed product, Ingrezza™ (valbenazine), is indicated for the treatment of tardive dyskinesia, a movement disorder associated with long-term antipsychotic use.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.