Cerus (NASDAQ:CERS) Issues Earnings Results

Cerus (NASDAQ:CERS) released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The biotechnology company reported ($0.01) earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of ($0.01), FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $63.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $62.90 million. Cerus had a negative return on equity of 10.41% and a negative net margin of 3.06%.

Here are the key takeaways from Cerus’ conference call:

• Q2 product revenue rose 10% to $57.4 million, while first-half revenue increased 16% year over year. Cerus raised the low end of its 2026 product revenue guidance to $229 million–$231 million, implying 11%–12% annual growth.
• INTERCEPT fibrinogen complex (IFC) revenue grew approximately 40% excluding prior-period revenue, with demand up 43%; Cerus raised its 2026 IFC revenue outlook to $23 million–$25 million. The company cited growing hospital adoption, BCA collaboration, and the product’s immediate availability and five-day post-thaw shelf life.
• Cerus refinanced its debt, reducing the term loan by $30 million and expecting to lower annual interest expense by up to $3.5 million. Adjusted EBITDA remained positive for the ninth consecutive quarter, and management said it has a path toward GAAP profitability.
• Product gross margin declined to 51.4% from 55.2% a year earlier due to currency and inflationary pressures; management expects full-year 2026 margins to remain in the low 50% range. Operating cash flow was negative $2.7 million, primarily because of higher inventory supporting expected growth.
• The company submitted its INT200 platelet PMA to the FDA and could receive approval as early as the first half of 2027. Cerus also expects Phase III INTERCEPT red blood cell trial results in the fourth quarter and expanded its BARDA contract by nearly $22 million to support U.S. regulatory activities.

Cerus Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CERS opened at $2.15 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $2.86 and a 200-day moving average of $2.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.63. Cerus has a twelve month low of $1.15 and a twelve month high of $3.47. The firm has a market cap of $430.80 million, a PE ratio of -71.67 and a beta of 1.77.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Cerus from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. BTIG Research raised shares of Cerus from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $4.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Cerus in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Cerus from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $4.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cerus

In other Cerus news, insider Chrystal Jensen sold 24,329 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.94, for a total value of $71,527.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 966,657 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,841,971.58. The trade was a 2.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Kevin Dennis Green sold 33,676 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.94, for a total transaction of $99,007.44. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 1,062,188 shares in the company, valued at $3,122,832.72. The trade was a 3.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 239,404 shares of company stock worth $697,893 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 5.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Cerus

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cibc World Markets Corp acquired a new position in Cerus during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. MML Investors Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cerus in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its position in shares of Cerus by 68.4% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 18,712 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 7,603 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Cerus during the third quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cerus during the third quarter valued at $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.37% of the company’s stock.

Cerus Company Profile

Cerus Corporation is a biomedical products company dedicated to enhancing the safety of blood transfusions worldwide. Its flagship offering, the INTERCEPT Blood System, employs pathogen reduction technology designed to inactivate a broad spectrum of viruses, bacteria, and parasites in donated platelets and plasma. This approach aims to mitigate the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections and improve blood component safety for patients.

The INTERCEPT platform integrates seamlessly into existing blood center workflows, providing a one-step treatment process for collected blood products.