Kura Oncology (NASDAQ:KURA) Trading Down 5.4% - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Kura Oncology shares fell by 5.4%, closing at $9.31 amid a significant drop in trading volume, raising questions about the stock's performance.
• Despite the decline, analysts maintain a Moderate Buy consensus rating with a target price of $24.67, indicating potential for recovery.
• Recent insider sales suggest caution, as company executives sold a combined total of 78,058 shares in the past 90 days, which could affect investor confidence.

Kura Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ:KURA - Get Free Report) dropped 5.4% during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $9.65 and last traded at $9.31. Approximately 284,962 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 1,501,000 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.84.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KURA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of Kura Oncology in a research report on Monday. Guggenheim assumed coverage on Kura Oncology in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Zacks Research lowered shares of Kura Oncology from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and set a $40.00 price objective on shares of Kura Oncology in a research report on Monday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Kura Oncology in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $24.67.

Kura Oncology Price Performance

The business's 50 day simple moving average is $8.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $6.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $867.13 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.42 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a quick ratio of 6.16, a current ratio of 6.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Kura Oncology

In other Kura Oncology news, insider Mollie Leoni sold 12,314 shares of the business'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 value of $110,087.16. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 158,439 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,416,444.66. The trade was a 7.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Thomas James Doyle sold 4,541 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.94, for a total transaction of $40,596.54. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 109,829 shares in the company, valued at $981,871.26. This represents a 3.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 78,058 shares of company stock valued at $697,839 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 6.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kura Oncology

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Kura Oncology by 18.9% during the 1st quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. now owns 12,252 shares of the company's stock valued at $81,000 after buying an additional 1,951 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in Kura Oncology by 10.9% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 30,273 shares of the company's stock valued at $175,000 after acquiring an additional 2,976 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Kura Oncology by 6.3% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 50,008 shares of the company's stock worth $333,000 after acquiring an additional 2,977 shares in the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kura Oncology by 32.2% in the 2nd quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 13,304 shares of the company's stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 3,241 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kura Oncology by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 67,146 shares of the company's stock valued at $594,000 after purchasing an additional 3,340 shares in the last quarter.

Kura Oncology Company Profile

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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