uniQure (NASDAQ:QURE) Trading Down 3.7% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• uniQure shares fell 3.7% in mid-day trading to about $17.27, hitting a low of $16.85 on sharply reduced volume (≈173,813 shares, down ~94% vs. average).
• Analysts are divided: several firms cut targets (notably Goldman Sachs to $9 and Barclays to $25), yet the consensus from 17 analysts is a “Moderate Buy” with an average target of $42.75, showing wide valuation dispersion.
• uniQure beat quarterly EPS and revenue expectations (EPS -$0.56 vs. -$0.93 estimate; revenue $5.57M vs. $4.84M) but remains deeply unprofitable with extreme negative margins, and insiders—including the CEO—have recently sold shares.

uniQure N.V. (NASDAQ:QURE - Get Free Report) dropped 3.7% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $16.85 and last traded at $17.2650. Approximately 173,813 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 94% from the average daily volume of 3,093,979 shares. The stock had previously closed at $17.92.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

QURE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays decreased their target price on uniQure from $31.00 to $25.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of uniQure from $37.00 to $9.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of uniQure in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Stifel Nicolaus set a $14.00 target price on shares of uniQure in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded shares of uniQure to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $42.75.

uniQure Trading Down 4.7%

The company has a fifty day moving average of $18.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $29.21. The company has a quick ratio of 10.43, a current ratio of 10.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.96 and a beta of 0.75.

uniQure (NASDAQ:QURE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 3rd. The biotechnology company reported ($0.56) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.93) by $0.37. uniQure had a negative net margin of 1,236.00% and a negative return on equity of 174.03%. The company had revenue of $5.57 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.84 million. On average, research analysts expect that uniQure N.V. will post -3.75 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Matthew C. Kapusta sold 14,581 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.06, for a total transaction of $132,103.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 660,658 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,985,561.48. This represents a 2.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Jeannette Potts sold 3,412 shares of uniQure stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.06, for a total value of $30,912.72. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 138,483 shares in the company, valued at $1,254,655.98. This represents a 2.40% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 49,396 shares of company stock valued at $722,734 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 4.79% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of uniQure

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp raised its position in uniQure by 123.8% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,231,043 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $77,319,000 after acquiring an additional 1,787,033 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of uniQure by 155.3% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,934,626 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $70,226,000 after purchasing an additional 1,785,275 shares in the last quarter. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of uniQure by 38.4% during the 4th quarter. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,150,000 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $147,170,000 after purchasing an additional 1,705,556 shares during the period. MPM Bioimpact LLC acquired a new position in shares of uniQure during the 4th quarter worth $33,062,000. Finally, Fred Alger Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of uniQure in the 3rd quarter valued at about $75,320,000. 78.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About uniQure

uniQure N.V. is a biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of gene therapies for patients with severe medical needs. Using its proprietary adeno‐associated viral (AAV) vector platform, the company designs single‐dose treatments aimed at addressing the underlying genetic causes of disease rather than solely managing symptoms. Its most advanced program, Hemgenix® (etranacogene dezaparvovec), received regulatory approval in the United States and Europe for adult patients with hemophilia B, marking one of the first gene therapies for a bleeding disorder to reach the market.

Beyond hemophilia B, uniQure's pipeline includes preclinical and clinical-stage candidates targeting rare and debilitating conditions such as aromatic l-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) deficiency, Huntington's disease, and Parkinson's disease.

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