ProQR Therapeutics N.V. (NASDAQ:PRQR) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• ProQR Therapeutics currently has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from seven brokerages, with an average 12-month price target of $7.33. Analyst opinions are mixed, including one sell, one hold, and five buy ratings.
• Several firms have recently adjusted their views on the stock, including Chardan Capital cutting its target to $3.00 while keeping a buy rating and JonesTrading lowering its target to $10.00. Other updates included downgrades from Weiss Ratings and Wall Street Zen.
• There has been notable insider buying, with both a director and the CEO each purchasing 150,000 shares in recent transactions. The stock also rose 4.8%, though ProQR’s latest quarterly results showed revenue below expectations and ongoing losses.

ProQR Therapeutics N.V. (NASDAQ:PRQR - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seven brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $7.3333.

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on PRQR. Chardan Capital decreased their price target on ProQR Therapeutics from $4.00 to $3.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Weiss Ratings cut ProQR Therapeutics from a "sell (d-)" rating to a "sell (e+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded ProQR Therapeutics from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating on shares of ProQR Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, JonesTrading decreased their target price on ProQR Therapeutics from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 26th.

Insider Buying and Selling at ProQR Therapeutics

In other ProQR Therapeutics news, Director Bart Filius acquired 150,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 26th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $1.54 per share, for a total transaction of $231,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 150,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $231,000. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Boer Daniel Anton De acquired 150,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 7th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $1.59 per share, for a total transaction of $238,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 150,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $238,500. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 8.40% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ProQR Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Aberdeen Group plc raised its position in shares of ProQR Therapeutics by 28.4% during the 4th quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 2,950,676 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $5,960,000 after purchasing an additional 651,853 shares during the last quarter. Privium Fund Management B.V. grew its holdings in ProQR Therapeutics by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. Privium Fund Management B.V. now owns 5,357,762 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $10,823,000 after buying an additional 359,475 shares during the last quarter. Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC acquired a new stake in ProQR Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at $50,000. ArrowMark Colorado Holdings LLC increased its position in ProQR Therapeutics by 3.9% during the third quarter. ArrowMark Colorado Holdings LLC now owns 1,246,234 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $2,654,000 after buying an additional 46,596 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. purchased a new position in ProQR Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 32.65% of the company's stock.

ProQR Therapeutics Stock Up 4.8%

Shares of NASDAQ PRQR opened at $1.76 on Friday. ProQR Therapeutics has a 52 week low of $1.33 and a 52 week high of $3.10. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $1.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $1.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $185.43 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.52 and a beta of 0.04.

ProQR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PRQR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 12th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.15) EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.15). ProQR Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 331.33% and a negative return on equity of 84.87%. The firm had revenue of $2.35 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.19 million. Equities research analysts expect that ProQR Therapeutics will post -0.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About ProQR Therapeutics

ProQR Therapeutics N.V. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to developing RNA-based therapies for severe genetic diseases. Utilizing its proprietary Axiomer® RNA editing platform, ProQR aims to correct disease-causing mutations directly at the messenger RNA level. The company's pipeline features several investigational candidates, including sepofarsen (formerly QR-110) for Leber congenital amaurosis type 10, QR-421a targeting Usher syndrome and certain forms of retinitis pigmentosa, and QR-313 for dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa.

Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Leiden, the Netherlands, ProQR maintains a significant presence in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to support its clinical research and regulatory initiatives.

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