Geron (NASDAQ:GERN) Shares Down 7.1% - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Geron shares fell 7.1% to approximately $1.245, with trading volume below its daily average. The stock remains below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: two analysts rate Geron a Buy, two a Hold and one a Sell, producing an overall “Hold” rating and an average price target of $4.00. Weiss Ratings recently downgraded the stock from “sell (d-)” to “sell (e+).”
• Geron’s lead candidate, imetelstat, is being evaluated in Phase II and Phase III trials for blood cancers. The company exceeded quarterly EPS and revenue estimates, while institutional investors own 73.71% of its shares.

Geron Corporation (NASDAQ:GERN - Get Free Report)'s stock price fell 7.1% on Friday . The company traded as low as $1.24 and last traded at $1.2450. 11,808,747 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 21% from the average daily volume of 14,935,776 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1.34.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Geron from a "sell (d-)" rating to a "sell (e+)" rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $4.00.

Geron Stock Down 7.8%

The stock's 50 day moving average price is $1.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $1.46. The company has a market cap of $792.28 million, a PE ratio of -11.23 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 4.96 and a current ratio of 6.78.

Geron (NASDAQ:GERN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.01) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.02. Geron had a negative return on equity of 23.31% and a negative net margin of 35.48%.The firm had revenue of $51.84 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $50.59 million. On average, analysts predict that Geron Corporation will post -0.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Geron

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GERN. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Geron by 20.5% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 39,519 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 6,713 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in Geron by 23.0% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 41,891 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 7,840 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Geron by 2.1% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 392,534 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $627,000 after buying an additional 8,123 shares in the last quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Geron by 12.0% in the 2nd quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. now owns 92,238 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $130,000 after purchasing an additional 9,849 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Velan Capital Investment Management LP boosted its stake in Geron by 14.3% during the third quarter. Velan Capital Investment Management LP now owns 80,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $110,000 after buying an additional 10,000 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.71% of the company's stock.

Geron Company Profile

Geron Corporation NASDAQ: GERN is a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to developing and commercializing novel treatments that target telomerase, an enzyme critical to cancer cell immortality. The company's research is focused on hematologic malignancies and solid tumors, with a pipeline designed to address diseases that have historically had limited therapeutic options.

The lead product candidate, imetelstat, is a first-in-class telomerase inhibitor currently in Phase II and Phase III clinical trials for myelofibrosis and myelodysplastic syndromes.

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