First Trust Advisors LP Reduces Holdings in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:BCRX)

First Trust Advisors LP lessened its stake in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:BCRX - Free Report) by 4.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 565,215 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 28,251 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.27% of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals worth $4,250,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $48,000. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 80.1% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 10,198 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $77,000 after acquiring an additional 4,537 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $80,000. Finally, Mariner LLC increased its holdings in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 32.1% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 13,258 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $100,000 after acquiring an additional 3,224 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.88% of the company's stock.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 23.5 %

Shares of BCRX traded up $2.10 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $11.03. The company had a trading volume of 24,800,859 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,922,235. BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $4.75 and a 12-month high of $11.48. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $7.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $7.83. The company has a market capitalization of $2.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -18.08 and a beta of 1.08.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:BCRX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The biotechnology company reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.07) by $0.27. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 56.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.17) earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -0.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on BCRX. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $20.00 price objective on the stock. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and set a $30.00 price target on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and set a $18.00 price objective on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wedbush initiated coverage on BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $15.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on BioCryst Pharmaceuticals from $10.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $16.13.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Profile

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.