uniQure (NASDAQ:QURE) Shares Gap Up - Here's What Happened

uniQure (NASDAQ:QURE - Get Free Report)'s stock price gapped up before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $9.39, but opened at $13.01. uniQure shares last traded at $12.86, with a volume of 7,711,175 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on QURE shares. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $24.00 target price on shares of uniQure in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of uniQure in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of uniQure from $35.00 to $30.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com upgraded uniQure to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Chardan Capital assumed coverage on uniQure in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $38.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $38.80.

uniQure Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $778.17 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.90 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 6.51 and a current ratio of 6.51. The company has a 50-day moving average of $11.89 and a 200-day moving average of $11.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Christian Klemt sold 10,438 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.29, for a total value of $107,407.02. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 217,730 shares in the company, valued at $2,240,441.70. This represents a 4.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Matthew C. Kapusta sold 6,717 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.32, for a total value of $76,036.44. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 580,795 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,574,599.40. This represents a 1.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 90,830 shares of company stock valued at $961,401. Insiders own 4.74% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On uniQure

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sanders Morris Harris LLC boosted its holdings in uniQure by 50.0% during the fourth quarter. Sanders Morris Harris LLC now owns 102,104 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,803,000 after acquiring an additional 34,034 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new position in shares of uniQure during the 3rd quarter worth about $7,360,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of uniQure in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $320,000. Palumbo Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of uniQure in the fourth quarter valued at about $437,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of uniQure in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,951,000. 78.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

uniQure Company Profile

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.