Kura Oncology (NASDAQ:KURA) Hits New 52-Week High Following Insider Buying Activity

Key Points

• Kura Oncology shares hit a new 52-week high of $12.85 after CEO Troy Edward Wilson purchased 100,000 shares for approximately $1.1 million, increasing his stake by 35.82%.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $25.62, more than double the recent trading price.
• The company exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting a loss of $0.77 per share versus the projected $0.88 loss and revenue of $20.87 million, though it remains unprofitable with a negative net margin.

Kura Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ:KURA - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday after an insider bought additional shares in the company. The company traded as high as $12.85 and last traded at $12.58, with a volume of 873348 shares. The stock had previously closed at $11.28.

Specifically, CEO Troy Edward Wilson acquired 100,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $11.12 per share, with a total value of $1,112,000.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 379,194 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,216,637.28. This represents a 35.82% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KURA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company set a $24.00 price target on Kura Oncology in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Kura Oncology in a report on Friday, July 17th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Kura Oncology from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Oppenheimer set a $24.00 target price on Kura Oncology in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Kura Oncology in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kura Oncology currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $25.62.

Kura Oncology Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 4.71 and a current ratio of 4.73. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $10.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $9.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.12 billion, a PE ratio of -3.73 and a beta of 0.38.

Kura Oncology (NASDAQ:KURA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 12th. The company reported ($0.77) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.88) by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $20.87 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.16 million. Kura Oncology had a negative return on equity of 207.18% and a negative net margin of 384.30%. On average, research analysts expect that Kura Oncology, Inc. will post -3.3 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Kura Oncology

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KURA. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in Kura Oncology by 115.3% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,398 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 1,284 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in Kura Oncology by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 19,577 shares of the company's stock valued at $203,000 after acquiring an additional 1,375 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in Kura Oncology by 59.9% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,146 shares of the company's stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,553 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC raised its stake in shares of Kura Oncology by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 22,889 shares of the company's stock valued at $238,000 after purchasing an additional 1,682 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Kura Oncology by 10.0% in the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 18,572 shares of the company's stock worth $193,000 after purchasing an additional 1,692 shares during the period.

Kura Oncology Company Profile

Kura Oncology, Inc NASDAQ: KURA is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of targeted oncology therapies. Headquartered in La Jolla, California, the company leverages expertise in molecular biology and precision medicine to identify key drivers of cancer growth and design small-molecule inhibitors that block those pathways. Kura's research platform integrates genomic insights with medicinal chemistry to advance candidates against well-validated targets in solid tumors and hematologic malignancies.

The company's lead clinical candidate, tipifarnib, is a farnesyltransferase inhibitor being evaluated for the treatment of HRAS-mutant head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and various non-small cell lung cancers.

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