Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Has $2.09 Million Stake in Cerus Co. (NASDAQ:CERS)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of Cerus Co. (NASDAQ:CERS - Free Report) by 105.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,107,740 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after purchasing an additional 568,107 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned 0.61% of Cerus worth $2,094,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of CERS. Versor Investments LP acquired a new position in shares of Cerus during the third quarter worth approximately $39,000. Barclays PLC raised its position in Cerus by 18.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,408,323 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $2,281,000 after buying an additional 221,859 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank raised its position in Cerus by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 396,900 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $643,000 after buying an additional 14,000 shares during the last quarter. Sepio Capital LP raised its position in Cerus by 789.1% in the 3rd quarter. Sepio Capital LP now owns 3,497,407 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $5,280,000 after buying an additional 3,104,062 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Silverarc Capital Management LLC raised its position in Cerus by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Silverarc Capital Management LLC now owns 1,203,890 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,950,000 after buying an additional 45,625 shares during the last quarter. 78.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on CERS. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on Cerus from $3.00 to $4.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $2.50 price target on shares of Cerus in a research note on Thursday, March 7th. Finally, Craig Hallum started coverage on Cerus in a research note on Friday, April 12th. They set a "buy" rating and a $5.00 price target for the company.

Cerus Price Performance

NASDAQ CERS traded down $0.10 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $1.85. The company had a trading volume of 875,082 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,442,693. Cerus Co. has a 52 week low of $1.21 and a 52 week high of $3.08. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $1.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a current ratio of 2.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $342.05 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.88 and a beta of 1.31.

Cerus (NASDAQ:CERS - Get Free Report) last released 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). Cerus had a negative return on equity of 58.65% and a negative net margin of 19.27%. The firm had revenue of $46.77 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $46.80 million. Equities research analysts expect that Cerus Co. will post -0.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cerus

In other Cerus news, CEO William Mariner Greenman sold 62,315 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.06, for a total value of $128,368.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,244,892 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,684,477.52. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Chrystal Jensen sold 17,460 shares of the firm'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 $35,967.60. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 508,736 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,047,996.16. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO William Mariner Greenman sold 62,315 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.06, for a total value of $128,368.90. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,244,892 shares in the company, valued at $6,684,477.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 177,516 shares of company stock valued at $372,912 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 3.40% of the company's stock.

About Cerus

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.

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