Cerus Co. (NASDAQ:CERS) Shares Sold by Senvest Management LLC

Senvest Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Cerus Co. (NASDAQ:CERS - Free Report) by 9.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,583,826 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 675,000 shares during the period. Senvest Management LLC owned 3.63% of Cerus worth $14,221,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Neuberger Berman Group LLC acquired a new position in Cerus during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Cerus in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Graham Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Cerus in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. JGP Global Gestao de Recursos Ltda. purchased a new stake in shares of Cerus in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Ionic Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cerus in the first quarter valued at about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.37% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Cerus news, CFO Kevin Dennis Green sold 21,497 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1.97, for a total transaction of $42,349.09. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 618,750 shares in the company, valued at $1,218,937.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Carol Moore sold 20,619 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.02, for a total value of $41,650.38. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 490,623 shares of the company's stock, valued at $991,058.46. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Kevin Dennis Green sold 21,497 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1.97, for a total transaction of $42,349.09. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 618,750 shares in the company, valued at $1,218,937.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 177,516 shares of company stock worth $372,912 over the last quarter. 7.05% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CERS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $3.00 target price on shares of Cerus in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $2.50 price target on shares of Cerus in a research report on Thursday, March 7th.

Cerus Stock Performance

CERS traded down $0.02 during trading on Friday, hitting $1.87. 1,055,167 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,471,393. The firm has a market cap of $338.99 million, a P/E ratio of -8.90 and a beta of 1.29. The stock's fifty day moving average is $2.08 and its 200 day moving average is $1.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. Cerus Co. has a one year low of $1.21 and a one year high of $3.08.

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

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.