uniQure (NASDAQ:QURE) Trading Down 7.1% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• uniQure shares fell 7.1% on Wednesday to about $15.93 (intraday low $15.84) on roughly 749,247 shares traded, about 76% below its average daily volume.
• Several analysts have upgraded QURE and raised targets (e.g., Wells Fargo to $60), leaving a MarketBeat consensus of Moderate Buy with a consensus target price of $42.75.
• The company remains unprofitable (negative EPS and large negative net margin; analysts forecast -3.75 EPS for the year), and insiders have sold ~81,399 shares in the past 90 days, including recent CEO and CFO sales.

uniQure N.V. (NASDAQ:QURE - Get Free Report)'s stock price dropped 7.1% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $15.84 and last traded at $15.9250. Approximately 749,247 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average daily volume of 3,170,033 shares. The stock had previously closed at $17.14.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on QURE shares. Chardan Capital raised their price objective on shares of uniQure from $16.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of uniQure from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded shares of uniQure from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $11.00 to $35.00 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of uniQure from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $15.00 to $60.00 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of uniQure in a research report 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 issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $42.75.

uniQure Trading Down 6.7%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 10.43 and a quick ratio of 10.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $999.46 million, a PE ratio of -4.61 and a beta of 0.75. The business's 50-day moving average price is $18.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $29.65.

uniQure (NASDAQ:QURE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The biotechnology company reported ($0.56) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $5.57 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.84 million. As a group, analysts expect that uniQure N.V. will post -3.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at uniQure

In other news, CEO Matthew C. Kapusta sold 14,581 shares of uniQure stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was 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 owned 660,658 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,985,561.48. The trade was a 2.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Christian Klemt sold 12,000 shares of uniQure stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.06, for a total value of $108,720.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 226,581 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,052,823.86. This trade represents a 5.03% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 81,399 shares of company stock worth $1,527,645. 4.79% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in QURE. Private Trust Co. NA acquired a new position in shares of uniQure during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of uniQure during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in shares of uniQure by 509.0% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 609 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 509 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc acquired a new position in shares of uniQure during the 4th quarter worth $48,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of uniQure during the 4th quarter worth $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.83% of the company's stock.

uniQure Company Profile

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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