Kura Oncology (NASDAQ:KURA) Trading 8.9% Higher - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Kura Oncology's stock experienced an 8.9% increase, trading at $10.27 after closing at $9.43, although the trading volume fell significantly to 368,060 shares.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on the stock, with one "Strong Buy", ten "Buy", four "Hold", and one "Sell" rating, and a consensus price target of $24.10.
• Recent insider transactions indicate selling activity, with two insiders selling a combined 21,119 shares at around $8.94 each, reflecting a decrease in their holdings.

Kura Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ:KURA - Get Free Report) traded up 8.9% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $10.13 and last traded at $10.27. 368,060 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 75% from the average session volume of 1,492,660 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.43.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on KURA. Guggenheim began coverage on Kura Oncology in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. JMP Securities cut their price target on Kura Oncology from $28.00 to $24.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen raised Kura Oncology from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, August 17th. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of Kura Oncology in a research note on Friday, June 20th. Finally, HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and set a $40.00 target price on shares of Kura Oncology in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $24.10.

Kura Oncology Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 6.16 and a current ratio of 6.16. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $7.74 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $6.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $879.72 million, a PE ratio of -4.48 and a beta of 0.32.

Kura Oncology (NASDAQ:KURA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported ($0.75) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.15 by ($0.90). The business had revenue of $15.29 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $64.95 million. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Kura Oncology, Inc. will post -2.44 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kura Oncology

In other news, insider Teresa Brophy Bair sold 8,805 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.94, for a total transaction of $78,716.70. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 148,043 shares in the company, valued at $1,323,504.42. This trade represents a 5.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Mollie Leoni sold 12,314 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.94, for a total transaction of $110,087.16. Following the sale, the insider owned 158,439 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,416,444.66. This represents a 7.21% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 78,058 shares of company stock worth $697,839. Insiders own 6.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Kura Oncology

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KURA. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in Kura Oncology by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 131,718 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,147,000 after purchasing an additional 9,050 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in Kura Oncology by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 105,206 shares of the company's stock valued at $694,000 after purchasing an additional 5,215 shares during the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kura Oncology in the first quarter worth $66,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of Kura Oncology by 1.5% in the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 919,079 shares of the company's stock worth $6,066,000 after acquiring an additional 13,895 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kura Oncology in the first quarter worth $139,000.

About Kura Oncology

Kura Oncology, Inc, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, develops medicines for the treatment of cancer. The company's pipeline consists of small molecule product candidates that target cancer. Its lead product candidates are ziftomenib, an orally bioavailable small molecule inhibitor of the menin-KMT2A interaction for the treatment of genetically defined subsets of acute leukemias, including acute myeloid leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia; tipifarnib, an orally bioavailable farnesyl transferase inhibitor combination with alpelisib for patients with PIK3CA-dependent HNSCC; and KO-2806, a farnesyl transferase inhibitor for the treatment of solid tumors.

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