uniQure (NASDAQ:QURE) Shares Down 5.6% - Here's Why

Key Points

• uniQure's stock experienced a decline of 5.6%, with a trading low of $56.19 and a current trading price of $55.12, marking a significant drop in trading volume.
• Despite the drop, Wall Street analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with several raising their price targets; current average target is $67.17 with most ratings being either "Buy" or "Outperform."
• Top executives sold significant amounts of stock recently, with the CFO and CEO reducing their holdings, raising potential concerns among investors about insider confidence.

uniQure N.V. (NASDAQ:QURE - Get Free Report) was down 5.6% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $56.19 and last traded at $55.12. Approximately 532,894 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 72% from the average daily volume of 1,916,476 shares. The stock had previously closed at $58.37.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of uniQure from $30.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of uniQure in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Chardan Capital upped their price objective on shares of uniQure from $35.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of uniQure from $13.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded uniQure from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $67.17.

uniQure Stock Down 4.1%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 9.98 and a quick ratio of 9.98. The company has a market capitalization of $3.07 billion, a PE ratio of -14.29 and a beta of 0.14. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $19.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $15.53.

uniQure (NASDAQ:QURE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.69) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.89) by $0.20. uniQure had a negative net margin of 1,387.98% and a negative return on equity of 1,010.74%. The business had revenue of $5.26 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.00 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that uniQure N.V. will post -3.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Christian Klemt sold 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.00, for a total transaction of $825,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 217,730 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,975,150. This trade represents a 6.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Matthew C. Kapusta sold 226,316 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.46, for a total transaction of $9,383,061.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 651,454 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,009,282.84. This trade represents a 25.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 244,316 shares of company stock valued at $10,328,181. Company insiders own 4.79% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of uniQure by 355.2% in the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 334,894 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $3,550,000 after buying an additional 261,323 shares in the last quarter. Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in uniQure during the 1st quarter worth about $106,000. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in uniQure by 22.8% during the 1st quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 82,653 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $876,000 after acquiring an additional 15,333 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd grew its position in uniQure by 127.3% in the 1st quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 36,999 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $392,000 after acquiring an additional 20,720 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in uniQure by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 279,999 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $2,968,000 after acquiring an additional 10,019 shares in the last quarter. 78.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About uniQure

uniQure N.V. develops treatments for patients suffering from rare and other devastating diseases. It offers HEMGENIX that has completed Phase III HOPE-B pivotal trial for the treatment of hemophilia B. The company also develops AMT-130, a gene therapy that is in Phase I/II clinical study for the treatment of Huntington's disease.

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