BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:BCRX) Upgraded to “Buy” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:BCRX) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday.

BCRX has been the topic of several other research reports. Barclays lifted their target price on BioCryst Pharmaceuticals from $6.00 to $7.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Tuesday. Needham & Company LLC reissued a buy rating and issued a $12.00 target price on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, May 7th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $30.00 target price on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and issued a $10.00 price target on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday. Finally, JMP Securities increased their price objective on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a market outperform rating in a report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $14.17.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BCRX opened at $7.97 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $6.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $5.82. The company has a market capitalization of $1.64 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.45 and a beta of 1.88. BioCryst Pharmaceuticals has a 1-year low of $4.03 and a 1-year high of $8.00.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:BCRX) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.06) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.17) by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $109.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $98.30 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.24) EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 34.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that BioCryst Pharmaceuticals will post -0.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at BioCryst Pharmaceuticals

In related news, insider Helen M. Thackray acquired 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 14th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $5.86 per share, for a total transaction of $175,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 272,139 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,594,734.54. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Steven K. Galson acquired 21,940 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $5.49 per share, for a total transaction of $120,450.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 51,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $283,014.99. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Helen M. Thackray bought 30,000 shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $5.86 per share, for a total transaction of $175,800.00. Following the purchase, the insider now owns 272,139 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,594,734.54. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders acquired 103,601 shares of company stock worth $596,338 over the last 90 days. 4.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BioCryst Pharmaceuticals

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. CWM LLC lifted its stake in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 200.0% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,658 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 3,772 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 560.5% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 6,598 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 5,599 shares during the period. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $54,000. Seven Eight Capital LP purchased a new position in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter valued at $57,000. Finally, Natixis grew its position in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 400.6% in the 1st quarter. Natixis now owns 11,684 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 9,350 shares during the last quarter. 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.