Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc. Sells 270,795 Shares of Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ:CERS)

Key Points

• Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc. reduced its stake in Cerus Corporation by 4.2%, selling 270,795 shares, and now holds approximately 6.19 million shares valued at $8.54 million.
• Several hedge funds have also adjusted their positions in Cerus, with notable investments including Raymond James Financial Inc. which purchased new shares worth $376,000.
• Cerus reported a quarterly EPS of (0.04), exceeding analysts' expectations, although its revenue of $43.24 million fell short of forecasts.

Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc. cut its stake in Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ:CERS - Free Report) by 4.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,190,889 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 270,795 shares during the quarter. Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc. owned approximately 3.24% of Cerus worth $8,543,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Cerus by 13.6% in the fourth quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 8,319,841 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $12,813,000 after purchasing an additional 994,007 shares during the period. Senvest Management LLC boosted its stake in Cerus by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Senvest Management LLC now owns 6,393,979 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $9,847,000 after purchasing an additional 387,603 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Cerus by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,454,525 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $6,862,000 after buying an additional 39,072 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in Cerus by 52.1% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 2,877,932 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $4,432,000 after buying an additional 986,286 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Cerus by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,634,780 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $2,518,000 after buying an additional 18,878 shares during the period. 78.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Cerus Stock Performance

Shares of Cerus stock traded up $0.03 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $1.36. The company's stock had a trading volume of 261,510 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,314,941. The company has a quick ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 2.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The business's 50-day moving average price is $1.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $1.48. Cerus Corporation has a 52 week low of $1.12 and a 52 week high of $2.54. The firm has a market cap of $259.02 million, a PE ratio of -13.55 and a beta of 1.56.

Cerus (NASDAQ:CERS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The biotechnology company reported ($0.04) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.05) by $0.01. The company had revenue of $43.24 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $47.44 million. Cerus had a negative net margin of 10.23% and a negative return on equity of 34.81%. Equities analysts forecast that Cerus Corporation will post -0.08 earnings per share for the current year.

About Cerus

Cerus Corporation operates as a biomedical products company. The company focuses on developing and commercializing the INTERCEPT Blood System to enhance blood safety. Its INTERCEPT Blood System, a proprietary technology for controlling biological replication that is designed to reduce blood-borne pathogens in donated blood components intended for transfusion.