Stephens Investment Management Group LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:HALO)

Stephens Investment Management Group LLC decreased its stake in Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:HALO - Free Report) by 0.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,336,974 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 9,983 shares during the quarter. Halozyme Therapeutics makes up 1.2% of Stephens Investment Management Group LLC's holdings, making the stock its 26th largest position. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC owned about 1.08% of Halozyme Therapeutics worth $85,312,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HALO. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Halozyme Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $21,838,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Halozyme Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,096,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in Halozyme Therapeutics by 23.2% during the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 9,766 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $467,000 after purchasing an additional 1,839 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Halozyme Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,958,000. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Halozyme Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.79% of the company's stock.

Halozyme Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HALO traded down $0.48 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $57.15. The company had a trading volume of 1,242,806 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,758,707. Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. has a twelve month low of $42.01 and a twelve month high of $70.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.13, a current ratio of 8.39 and a quick ratio of 7.30. The stock has a market cap of $7.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.15. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $55.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $56.95.

Halozyme Therapeutics (NASDAQ:HALO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.13. Halozyme Therapeutics had a return on equity of 136.91% and a net margin of 44.76%. The firm had revenue of $264.86 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $231.21 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.79 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 35.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. will post 4.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on HALO. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Halozyme Therapeutics from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Halozyme Therapeutics in a report on Thursday. They set a "neutral" rating and a $55.00 target price for the company. Benchmark cut Halozyme Therapeutics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and set a $72.00 target price on shares of Halozyme Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut Halozyme Therapeutics from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $73.00 to $62.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $62.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Halozyme Therapeutics

In other Halozyme Therapeutics news, CEO Helen Torley sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.43, for a total transaction of $1,128,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 733,719 shares of the company's stock, valued at $41,403,763.17. This trade represents a 2.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jeffrey William Henderson sold 4,497 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.37, for a total value of $271,483.89. Following the sale, the director directly owned 28,611 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,727,246.07. This trade represents a 13.58% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 64,497 shares of company stock valued at $3,533,884. 2.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Halozyme Therapeutics

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.