BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:BCRX) Shares Down 4.4% – Should You Sell?

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:BCRX) dropped 4.4% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $7.91 and last traded at $7.95. Approximately 3,370,497 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 22% from the average daily volume of 2,757,389 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.31.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on BCRX. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $11.00 price objective (up from $10.00) on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Wedbush began coverage on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $15.00 price target on the stock. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $18.00 price objective on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $30.00 target price on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, BioCryst Pharmaceuticals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $15.57.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 2.2 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.61 billion, a P/E ratio of -12.61 and a beta of 1.75. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $8.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $7.87.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:BCRX) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 24th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.07) by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $131.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $126.64 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.28 EPS. BioCryst Pharmaceuticals’s revenue for the quarter was up 40.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -0.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BioCryst Pharmaceuticals

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BCRX. Counterweight Ventures LLC increased its stake in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 591.7% in the third quarter. Counterweight Ventures LLC now owns 93,384 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $710,000 after purchasing an additional 79,884 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 40.7% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 299,152 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $2,274,000 after buying an additional 86,571 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 1,058.1% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 411,414 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $3,127,000 after buying an additional 375,890 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 16.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 3,338,062 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $25,369,000 after acquiring an additional 481,359 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,887,994 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $14,349,000 after acquiring an additional 102,860 shares during the period. 85.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About BioCryst Pharmaceuticals

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a biotechnology company, develops oral small-molecule and protein therapeutics to treat rare diseases. The company markets peramivir injection, an intravenous neuraminidase inhibitor for the treatment of acute uncomplicated influenza under the RAPIVAB, RAPIACTA, and PERAMIFLU names; and ORLADEYO, an oral serine protease inhibitor to treat hereditary angioedema.