BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:BCRX) Receives $20.70 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:BCRX) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twelve ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $20.70.

A number of brokerages have commented on BCRX. Needham & Company LLC cut their price objective on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals from $18.00 to $16.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wedbush lowered their price objective on BioCryst Pharmaceuticals from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Citizens Jmp raised their price objective on BioCryst Pharmaceuticals from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on BioCryst Pharmaceuticals from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Evercore started coverage on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $17.00 price target on the stock.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 5.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:BCRX opened at $9.02 on Wednesday. BioCryst Pharmaceuticals has a 52-week low of $6.00 and a 52-week high of $11.31. The company has a 50 day moving average of $9.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $7.91. The company has a market capitalization of $2.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.07 and a beta of 0.57.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:BCRX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The biotechnology company reported ($2.98) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.06 by ($3.04). BioCryst Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 51.71% and a negative return on equity of 76.36%. The firm had revenue of $156.41 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $151.12 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.20 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that BioCryst Pharmaceuticals will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Alane P. Barnes sold 150,000 shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.15, for a total value of $1,372,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 400,703 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,666,432.45. This trade represents a 27.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 5.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BioCryst Pharmaceuticals

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BCRX. Weiss Asset Management LP acquired a new position in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals during the first quarter valued at $782,000. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC increased its stake in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 17.1% in the first quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC now owns 2,230,105 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $21,231,000 after purchasing an additional 325,959 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP increased its stake in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 34.3% in the first quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 75,908 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $723,000 after purchasing an additional 19,391 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new position in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter worth $11,681,000. Finally, Hilltop Holdings Inc. acquired a new position in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter valued at about $98,000. 85.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About BioCryst Pharmaceuticals

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc is a clinical‐stage biotechnology company headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, that focuses on the discovery and development of novel, oral small‐molecule medicines for rare and serious diseases. Since its founding in 1986, the company has leveraged structure‐based drug design to advance a pipeline of targeted therapeutics designed to address underlying disease mechanisms rather than just treat symptoms.

The company’s first commercial product, Orladeyo (berotralstat), is an oral kallikrein inhibitor approved for the prophylactic treatment of hereditary angioedema (HAE) in both the United States and Europe.