Insider Selling: Kura Oncology (NASDAQ:KURA) Insider Sells $88,641.00 in Stock

Kura Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ:KURA) insider Teresa Bair sold 8,442 shares of Kura Oncology stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.50, for a total value of $88,641.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 187,002 shares in the company, valued at $1,963,521. The trade was a 4.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Teresa Brophy Bair also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, August 19th, Teresa Bair sold 31,487 shares of Kura Oncology stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.63, for a total value of $397,680.81.

Kura Oncology Price Performance

Kura Oncology stock opened at $10.65 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $11.23 and its 200 day moving average is $10.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 4.73 and a quick ratio of 4.71. The firm has a market cap of $947.42 million, a P/E ratio of -3.16 and a beta of 0.47. Kura Oncology, Inc. has a one year low of $7.36 and a one year high of $13.90.

Kura Oncology (NASDAQ:KURA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The company reported ($0.77) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.88) by $0.11. Kura Oncology had a negative net margin of 384.30% and a negative return on equity of 207.18%. The business had revenue of $20.87 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.16 million. As a group, research analysts expect that Kura Oncology, Inc. will post -3.25 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. CLSA set a $24.00 target price on shares of Kura Oncology in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Kura Oncology in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Kura Oncology in a report on Thursday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $30.00 price target for the company. Citizens Jmp reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $24.00 price objective on shares of Kura Oncology in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $24.00 price objective on Kura Oncology in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $25.69.

Kura Oncology News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Kura Oncology this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan initiated coverage of Kura Oncology with an “overweight” rating and a $30 price target, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. The firm views Kura as a promising precision-cancer-medicine developer, particularly because of its menin-inhibitor platform and lead program, ziftomenib, for genetically defined acute myeloid leukemia. JPMorgan Kura Oncology rating article
• Positive Sentiment: CNBC highlighted JPMorgan’s view that KURA could nearly triple, reinforcing the potential valuation impact of successful clinical and regulatory execution. The bullish outlook is particularly important for a biotechnology stock trading below the average analyst target of approximately $25.40. CNBC Kura Oncology analyst outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Kura’s financial position remains relatively liquid, with a reported quick ratio of 4.71 and current ratio of 4.73, but the company remains unprofitable and analysts expect a significant full-year loss. That means the stock’s valuation continues to depend heavily on clinical progress rather than current earnings.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insiders, including executives Kathleen Ford, Brian Powl, Mollie Leoni, Thomas Doyle and Teresa Bair, sold shares in late September and October 1. The reported transactions represent roughly 97,000 shares and more than $1 million in proceeds, creating a potential near-term overhang. The sales do not necessarily indicate deteriorating business prospects, since the insiders retained meaningful holdings, but they may weigh on investor confidence. Kura Oncology insider sales

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kura Oncology

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kura Oncology during the 2nd quarter worth about $115,286,000. Armistice Capital LLC increased its position in Kura Oncology by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Armistice Capital LLC now owns 4,936,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,285,000 after buying an additional 264,000 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Kura Oncology by 32.3% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,425,945 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,591,000 after buying an additional 348,127 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in Kura Oncology by 46.1% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,230,131 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,001,000 after buying an additional 388,003 shares during the period. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in Kura Oncology during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $10,927,000.

About Kura Oncology

Kura Oncology, Inc is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing precision medicines for the treatment of cancer. The company’s research programs target specific genetic and molecular abnormalities that contribute to tumor growth, with an emphasis on hematologic malignancies and selected solid tumors.

Kura’s leading program has been ziftomenib, an oral, selective menin inhibitor being developed for genetically defined forms of acute myeloid leukemia, including cancers with NPM1 mutations or certain KMT2A rearrangements.