Cerus (NASDAQ:CERS) Sets New 1-Year High – Here’s Why
by Sarita Garza · The Markets DailyShares of Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ:CERS – Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $3.21 and last traded at $3.0450, with a volume of 399369 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $3.00.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Cerus from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Zacks Research upgraded Cerus from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. BTIG Research raised Cerus from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $4.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Cerus in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $4.00.
Read Our Latest Report on Cerus
Cerus Price Performance
The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $633.17 million, a PE ratio of -63.20 and a beta of 1.77. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $2.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $2.30.
Cerus (NASDAQ:CERS – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.01) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $59.89 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.68 million. Cerus had a negative net margin of 4.41% and a negative return on equity of 15.18%. On average, analysts forecast that Cerus Corporation will post -0.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Insider Activity at Cerus
In other Cerus news, CEO William Mariner Greenman sold 101,919 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.94, for a total value of $299,641.86. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 5,053,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,855,925.84. This trade represents a 1.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Kevin Dennis Green sold 33,676 shares of Cerus stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.94, for a total value of $99,007.44. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 1,062,188 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,122,832.72. This trade represents a 3.07% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 256,071 shares of company stock valued at $747,894 in the last ninety days. 5.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC raised its stake in Cerus by 152.4% in the first quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 104,101 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $145,000 after purchasing an additional 62,854 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Cerus by 291.6% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,429,062 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,986,000 after buying an additional 1,064,133 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Cerus by 12.0% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 3,222,327 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $4,479,000 after buying an additional 344,395 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Cerus during the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in shares of Cerus by 6.8% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 268,946 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $379,000 after buying an additional 17,039 shares in the last quarter. 78.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Cerus Company Profile
Cerus Corporation is a biomedical products company dedicated to enhancing the safety of blood transfusions worldwide. Its flagship offering, the INTERCEPT Blood System, employs pathogen reduction technology designed to inactivate a broad spectrum of viruses, bacteria, and parasites in donated platelets and plasma. This approach aims to mitigate the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections and improve blood component safety for patients.
The INTERCEPT platform integrates seamlessly into existing blood center workflows, providing a one-step treatment process for collected blood products.