Cerus (NASDAQ:CERS) Given New $4.00 Price Target at Cantor Fitzgerald

Cerus (NASDAQ:CERS - Get Free Report) had its price target upped by stock analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald from $3.00 to $4.00 in a report released on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "overweight" rating on the biotechnology company's stock. Cantor Fitzgerald's target price suggests a potential upside of 146.91% from the stock's current price.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on CERS. Craig Hallum started coverage on Cerus in a research report on Friday, April 12th. They set a "buy" rating and a $5.00 price objective for the company. Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $2.50 price objective on shares of Cerus in a research report on Thursday, March 7th.

Cerus Trading Down 8.0 %

NASDAQ:CERS traded down $0.14 on Friday, reaching $1.62. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,504,046 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,475,861. Cerus has a 1-year low of $1.21 and a 1-year high of $3.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 2.14. The firm has a market cap of $299.52 million, a PE ratio of -8.14 and a beta of 1.31. The business's 50-day moving average price is $1.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1.86.

Cerus (NASDAQ:CERS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.01) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.01). Cerus had a negative return on equity of 67.17% and a negative net margin of 23.98%. The firm had revenue of $46.77 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $46.80 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that Cerus will post -0.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO William Mariner Greenman sold 62,315 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.06, for a total transaction of $128,368.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,244,892 shares in the company, valued at $6,684,477.52. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO William Mariner Greenman sold 62,315 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.06, for a total transaction of $128,368.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,244,892 shares in the company, valued at $6,684,477.52. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Richard J. Benjamin sold 29,378 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.40, for a total value of $70,507.20. Following the sale, the insider now owns 478,061 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,147,346.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 177,516 shares of company stock worth $372,912. Corporate insiders own 7.05% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Cerus

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Neuberger Berman Group LLC bought a new stake in Cerus in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. JGP Global Gestao de Recursos Ltda. bought a new stake in Cerus in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. bought a new stake in Cerus in the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Versor Investments LP bought a new stake in Cerus in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, RPO LLC bought a new stake in Cerus in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $79,000. Institutional investors own 78.37% of the company's stock.

Cerus Company Profile

Cerus Corporation operates as a biomedical products company. The company focuses on developing and commercializing the INTERCEPT Blood System to enhance blood safety. Its INTERCEPT Blood System, a proprietary technology for controlling biological replication that is designed to reduce blood-borne pathogens in donated blood components intended for transfusion.