Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Makes New $1.37 Million Investment in Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:HALO)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:HALO - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 37,100 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock, valued at approximately $1,371,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HALO. Vontobel Holding Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Halozyme Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter valued at about $249,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its position in shares of Halozyme Therapeutics by 16.2% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 14,129 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $540,000 after purchasing an additional 1,974 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its stake in Halozyme Therapeutics by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 23,869 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $912,000 after buying an additional 1,800 shares during the period. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Halozyme Therapeutics by 13.7% during the 3rd quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 42,450 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,622,000 after buying an additional 5,126 shares during the period. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its stake in Halozyme Therapeutics by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 16,216 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $619,000 after buying an additional 347 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.79% of the company's stock.

Halozyme Therapeutics Stock Performance

NASDAQ HALO traded up $0.07 on Monday, hitting $38.71. 525,232 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,261,845. The business's fifty day moving average is $39.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $37.77. Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. has a 12 month low of $29.85 and a 12 month high of $45.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.35, a PEG ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 17.89, a quick ratio of 5.50 and a current ratio of 6.64.

Halozyme Therapeutics (NASDAQ:HALO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 20th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.77 by ($0.02). Halozyme Therapeutics had a net margin of 33.96% and a return on equity of 248.20%. The firm had revenue of $230.04 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $235.25 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. will post 3.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on HALO shares. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $50.00 price target on shares of Halozyme Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. JMP Securities reissued a "market outperform" rating and issued a $72.00 price objective on shares of Halozyme Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. StockNews.com raised Halozyme Therapeutics from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Halozyme Therapeutics from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 18th. Finally, TD Cowen began coverage on Halozyme Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $54.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Halozyme Therapeutics has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $53.29.

Insider Transactions at Halozyme Therapeutics

In other news, SVP Michael J. Labarre sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.49, for a total value of $384,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 168,176 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,473,094.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 30,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,196,800 over the last three months. Company insiders own 2.70% of the company's stock.

About Halozyme Therapeutics

Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc, a biopharma technology platform company, researches, develops, and commercializes proprietary enzymes and devices in the United States, Switzerland, Belgium, Japan, and internationally. The company's products are based on the patented recombinant human hyaluronidase enzyme (rHuPH20) that enables delivery of injectable biologics, such as monoclonal antibodies and other therapeutic molecules, as well as small molecules and fluids.