Vanguard Group Inc. Cuts Stock Position in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $BCRX

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. reduced its stake in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 1.1%, selling 230,657 shares and owning 21,659,765 shares by the end of the first quarter.
• Insider Theresa Heggie sold 70,000 shares at an average price of $8.51, marking a 51.72% decrease in her position.
• Several analysts have rated BioCryst Pharmaceuticals with a consensus "Moderate Buy" and a price target of $16.70, indicating positive market sentiment towards the stock.

Vanguard Group Inc. cut its holdings in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:BCRX - Free Report) by 1.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 21,659,765 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 230,657 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 10.35% of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals worth $162,448,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Caligan Partners LP boosted its position in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 16.0% during the 4th quarter. Caligan Partners LP now owns 2,995,932 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $22,529,000 after buying an additional 412,347 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its stake in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 14.6% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,499,812 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $18,799,000 after purchasing an additional 318,800 shares in the last quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. increased its stake in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 82.4% during the 1st quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 2,148,969 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $16,117,000 after purchasing an additional 971,040 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,004,911 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $15,077,000 after purchasing an additional 143,986 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP grew its stake in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 1,774,214 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $13,342,000 after acquiring an additional 13,406 shares in the last quarter. 85.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of BCRX traded down $0.1850 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $8.3750. The stock had a trading volume of 766,599 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,772,479. The firm has a market cap of $1.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -46.47, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.10. BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $6.01 and a 12 month high of $11.31. The business has a fifty day moving average of $8.83 and a 200 day moving average of $8.79.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:BCRX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The biotechnology company reported $0.15 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.03 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $163.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $149.59 million. BioCryst Pharmaceuticals's quarterly revenue was up 49.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.06) EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -0.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at BioCryst Pharmaceuticals

In other news, Director Theresa Heggie sold 70,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.51, for a total value of $595,700.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 65,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $556,145.52. This represents a 51.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 5.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $20.00 price target on the stock. Barclays upped their target price on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals from $8.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $30.00 target price on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $17.00 target price on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals from $10.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $16.70.

About BioCryst Pharmaceuticals

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a biotechnology company, develops oral small-molecule and protein therapeutics to treat rare diseases. The company markets peramivir injection, an intravenous neuraminidase inhibitor for the treatment of acute uncomplicated influenza under the RAPIVAB, RAPIACTA, and PERAMIFLU names; and ORLADEYO, an oral serine protease inhibitor to treat hereditary angioedema.