Moody Aldrich Partners LLC Invests $4.10 Million in Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. (NASDAQ:PACB)

Moody Aldrich Partners LLC purchased a new position in Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. (NASDAQ:PACB - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 418,262 shares of the biotechnology company's stock, valued at approximately $4,103,000. Moody Aldrich Partners LLC owned about 0.16% of Pacific Biosciences of California as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in PACB. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Pacific Biosciences of California by 280.2% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,015,819 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $9,244,000 after buying an additional 748,630 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Pacific Biosciences of California by 10.6% in the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 25,761 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $234,000 after buying an additional 2,469 shares in the last quarter. AlphaCrest Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Pacific Biosciences of California in the first quarter valued at approximately $286,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Pacific Biosciences of California by 50.1% in the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 103,966 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $946,000 after purchasing an additional 34,699 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its stake in Pacific Biosciences of California by 25.8% in the first quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 115,645 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,116,000 after purchasing an additional 23,693 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on PACB shares. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Pacific Biosciences of California in a research note on Wednesday, December 13th. They issued a "peer perform" rating on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Pacific Biosciences of California to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. Guggenheim assumed coverage on shares of Pacific Biosciences of California in a research report on Thursday, December 14th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Pacific Biosciences of California from $12.50 to $12.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Stephens started coverage on shares of Pacific Biosciences of California in a report on Thursday, December 14th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $11.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $11.56.

Pacific Biosciences of California Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PACB traded up $0.16 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $3.61. 5,321,625 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,534,011. The company's 50 day moving average price is $4.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $6.96. The firm has a market cap of $967.30 million, a PE ratio of -2.94 and a beta of 1.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 7.81 and a quick ratio of 7.21. Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. has a 52 week low of $3.21 and a 52 week high of $14.55.

Pacific Biosciences of California (NASDAQ:PACB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 15th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.27) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.29) by $0.02. The business had revenue of $58.36 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $57.96 million. Pacific Biosciences of California had a negative return on equity of 40.23% and a negative net margin of 152.97%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 113.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.35) EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. will post -1.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Pacific Biosciences of California

In other news, insider Oene Mark Van sold 33,560 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.96, for a total transaction of $200,017.60. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 876,611 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,224,601.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Oene Mark Van sold 33,560 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.96, for a total transaction of $200,017.60. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 876,611 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,224,601.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director David W. Meline bought 40,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $4.40 per share, for a total transaction of $176,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 40,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $176,000. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold 37,359 shares of company stock valued at $218,843 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

About Pacific Biosciences of California

Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc designs, develops, and manufactures sequencing solution to resolve genetically complex problems. The company provides sequencing systems; consumable products, including single molecule real-time (SMRT) technology; long-red sequencing; and various reagent kits designed for specific workflow, such as preparation kit to convert DNA into SMRTbell double-stranded DNA library formats, including molecular biology reagents, such as ligase, buffers, and exonucleases.