Geron (NASDAQ:GERN) Stock Price Up 9.7% – Should You Buy?

Geron Corporation (NASDAQ:GERN)’s stock price rose 9.7% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $1.64 and last traded at $1.6350. Approximately 5,114,463 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 68% from the average daily volume of 16,010,146 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1.49.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GERN has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Geron in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Geron in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Geron in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, HC Wainwright reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Geron in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $2.17.

Geron Stock Up 9.7%

The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $1.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 4.66 and a quick ratio of 3.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a P/E ratio of -12.58 and a beta of 0.58.

Geron (NASDAQ:GERN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.05) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.03) by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $48.02 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $50.43 million. Geron had a negative net margin of 46.65% and a negative return on equity of 28.86%. On average, research analysts forecast that Geron Corporation will post -0.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Geron

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in Geron by 2.1% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 392,534 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $627,000 after acquiring an additional 8,123 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in Geron by 8.3% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,372,016 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,182,000 after purchasing an additional 104,840 shares during the period. Creative Planning grew its position in shares of Geron by 235.1% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 357,427 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $504,000 after purchasing an additional 250,752 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in shares of Geron by 8.3% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 550,871 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $775,000 after purchasing an additional 42,345 shares during the period. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in shares of Geron by 4.1% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 873,893 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,232,000 after buying an additional 34,437 shares in the last quarter. 73.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Geron Company Profile

Geron Corporation (NASDAQ: GERN) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to developing and commercializing novel treatments that target telomerase, an enzyme critical to cancer cell immortality. The company’s research is focused on hematologic malignancies and solid tumors, with a pipeline designed to address diseases that have historically had limited therapeutic options.

The lead product candidate, imetelstat, is a first-in-class telomerase inhibitor currently in Phase II and Phase III clinical trials for myelofibrosis and myelodysplastic syndromes.