UBS Group AG Increases Stake in Alkermes plc $ALKS

Key Points

• UBS Group AG boosted its stake in Alkermes by 237.4% in Q4, adding 1,790,729 shares to hold 2,544,895 shares (about 1.54% of the company) worth roughly $71.2 million per its SEC filing.
• Institutional investors now own 95.21% of Alkermes, with multiple funds including Baker Bros., Arrowstreet and BNP Paribas significantly increasing positions, signaling strong institutional accumulation.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $44.29 versus the stock trading near $33.38 (market cap ≈ $5.55B), implying analyst‑estimated upside.

UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in shares of Alkermes plc (NASDAQ:ALKS - Free Report) by 237.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,544,895 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,790,729 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG owned 1.54% of Alkermes worth $71,206,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Baker BROS. Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Alkermes by 26.2% during the third quarter. Baker BROS. Advisors LP now owns 8,091,351 shares of the company's stock worth $242,741,000 after acquiring an additional 1,680,748 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in Alkermes by 1,070.6% during the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,208,944 shares of the company's stock worth $36,268,000 after purchasing an additional 1,105,666 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in Alkermes by 787.2% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,135,478 shares of the company's stock worth $32,486,000 after purchasing an additional 1,007,488 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Alkermes by 20.2% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,397,471 shares of the company's stock worth $131,924,000 after purchasing an additional 740,248 shares during the period. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP raised its position in Alkermes by 31.2% in the 2nd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 2,853,768 shares of the company's stock valued at $81,646,000 after purchasing an additional 679,166 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.21% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ALKS has been the subject of several recent research reports. HC Wainwright reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $43.00 price objective on shares of Alkermes in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Alkermes from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Alkermes in a report on Monday, February 23rd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $45.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Alkermes from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Alkermes from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Alkermes presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $44.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Craig C. Hopkinson sold 9,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.40, for a total transaction of $300,600.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 81,389 shares in the company, valued at $2,718,392.60. The trade was a 9.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Christian Todd Nichols sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.00, for a total transaction of $180,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 109,769 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,293,070. This represents a 5.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 37,068 shares of company stock worth $1,197,561. 4.59% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Alkermes Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ALKS opened at $33.38 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $5.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.34 and a beta of 0.31. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $31.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $30.95. Alkermes plc has a 12-month low of $25.17 and a 12-month high of $36.48.

Alkermes (NASDAQ:ALKS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, February 14th. The company reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter. Alkermes had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 16.37%.The firm had revenue of $384.55 million during the quarter. Research analysts forecast that Alkermes plc will post -0.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Alkermes

Alkermes plc is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative medicines to address unmet needs in the central nervous system (CNS). The company applies its proprietary drug delivery technologies and therapeutic expertise to advance treatments for addiction, schizophrenia, bipolar I disorder and depression. Alkermes' portfolio includes both commercial products and a pipeline of investigational therapies designed to improve patient outcomes and support long-term disease management.

Alkermes' commercial franchise features several approved products.

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