uniQure (NASDAQ:QURE) Upgraded at Mizuho

Key Points

• uniQure has received an upgrade from Mizuho, moving from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating, with a target price of $30.00, indicating a potential upside of 105.48%.
• The company reported a quarterly earnings of ($0.69) EPS, exceeding analysts' consensus expectations and generating revenues of $5.26 million for the quarter.
• Hedge funds and institutional investors have increased their stakes in uniQure, with significant purchases from firms like Vestal Point Capital, which raised its stake by 58.4%.

uniQure (NASDAQ:QURE - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Mizuho from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Finviz reports. The brokerage presently has a $30.00 target price on the biotechnology company's stock. Mizuho's target price points to a potential upside of 105.48% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on QURE. Wall Street Zen raised shares of uniQure from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of uniQure in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and set a $28.00 target price on shares of uniQure in a report on Monday, May 12th. Chardan Capital lowered their target price on shares of uniQure from $38.00 to $35.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald set a $47.00 target price on shares of uniQure in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, uniQure presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $37.45.

uniQure Trading Up 2.1%

NASDAQ:QURE opened at $14.60 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 9.98, a quick ratio of 9.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $801.10 million, a PE ratio of -3.72 and a beta of 0.11. The firm's 50 day moving average is $14.66 and its 200 day moving average is $13.64. uniQure has a 12 month low of $4.45 and a 12 month high of $19.18.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Madhavan Balachandran sold 2,112 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.45, for a total value of $30,518.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 37,697 shares in the company, valued at approximately $544,721.65. The trade was a 5.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Rachelle Suzanne Jacques sold 2,112 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.45, for a total transaction of $30,518.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 28,346 shares of the company's stock, valued at $409,599.70. This trade represents a 6.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 22,144 shares of company stock worth $322,426. Company insiders own 4.79% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vestal Point Capital LP lifted its stake in uniQure by 58.4% in the first quarter. Vestal Point Capital LP now owns 4,792,572 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $50,801,000 after purchasing an additional 1,767,572 shares during the last quarter. Nantahala Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in uniQure by 3.8% in the first quarter. Nantahala Capital Management LLC now owns 2,755,962 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $29,213,000 after purchasing an additional 101,598 shares during the last quarter. Aberdeen Group plc lifted its stake in uniQure by 24.2% in the second quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 2,750,714 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $38,345,000 after purchasing an additional 535,163 shares during the last quarter. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in uniQure in the fourth quarter worth $38,410,000. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in uniQure in the second quarter worth $29,217,000. 78.83% of the stock is currently 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.

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