Russell Investments Group Ltd. Purchases 158,100 Shares of Emergent Biosolutions Inc. $EBS

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. significantly increased its holdings in Emergent Biosolutions Inc., acquiring a total of 158,685 shares, worth approximately $771,000, a remarkable 27,025.6% increase in the first quarter.
• Other institutional investors like Millennium Management LLC and Palisade Capital Management LP have also boosted their stakes in Emergent Biosolutions, indicating strong institutional interest.
• Despite recent downgrades by Wall Street analysts, which shifted the stock rating from "buy" to "hold," Emergent Biosolutions maintains a consensus "Buy" rating with an average target price of $14.33.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Emergent Biosolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS - Free Report) by 27,025.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 158,685 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after buying an additional 158,100 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.29% of Emergent Biosolutions worth $771,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in EBS. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Emergent Biosolutions by 95.1% during the 1st quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 12,951 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 6,313 shares during the last quarter. Corton Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Emergent Biosolutions during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $70,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of Emergent Biosolutions by 40.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 17,003 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 4,894 shares during the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Emergent Biosolutions during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $110,000. Finally, Alpine Global Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Emergent Biosolutions during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $112,000. 78.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Emergent Biosolutions Trading Down 2.9%

Shares of NYSE:EBS traded down $0.23 during trading on Thursday, reaching $7.61. The stock had a trading volume of 840,728 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,395,715. The firm's fifty day moving average is $7.56 and its 200 day moving average is $6.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 3.00 and a current ratio of 5.66. Emergent Biosolutions Inc. has a 52 week low of $4.02 and a 52 week high of $12.73. The stock has a market cap of $405.73 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 2.04.

Emergent Biosolutions (NYSE:EBS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.42. Emergent Biosolutions had a net margin of 16.38% and a return on equity of 24.63%. The company had revenue of $140.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $148.55 million. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Emergent Biosolutions Inc. will post -0.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Emergent Biosolutions news, Director Kathryn C. Zoon sold 7,086 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.87, for a total transaction of $62,852.82. Following the transaction, the director owned 71,799 shares in the company, valued at approximately $636,857.13. This represents a 8.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Donald W. Degolyer sold 7,844 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.65, for a total transaction of $67,850.60. Following the transaction, the director owned 137,659 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,190,750.35. The trade was a 5.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on EBS. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $15.00 price target on shares of Emergent Biosolutions in a report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Emergent Biosolutions from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Emergent Biosolutions currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $14.33.

About Emergent Biosolutions

Emergent BioSolutions Inc, a life sciences company, provides preparedness and response solutions for accidental, deliberate, and naturally occurring public health threats in the United States. The company offers NARCAN Nasal Spray for the emergency treatment of known or suspected opioid overdose; Vaxchora vaccine for the prevention of cholera; Vivotif vaccine for oral administration for the prevention of typhoid fever; Anthrasil for the treatment of inhalational anthrax; BioThrax, an anthrax vaccine; CYFENDUS for post-exposure prophylaxis of disease following suspected or confirmed exposure to Bacillus anthracis; and Raxibacumab injection for the treatment and prophylaxis of inhalational anthrax.