BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:BCRX) Stock Price Up 5.5% on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:BCRX) traded up 5.5% on Tuesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as high as $5.70 and last traded at $5.56. 774,886 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 77% from the average session volume of 3,331,300 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.27.

The biotechnology company reported ($0.17) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.23) by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $92.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $85.62 million. BioCryst Pharmaceuticals’s revenue was up 34.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.28) EPS.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $12.00 price objective on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $30.00 price objective on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, JMP Securities increased their target price on BioCryst Pharmaceuticals from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $14.00.

Institutional Trading of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Braidwell LP raised its stake in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 92.1% during the 3rd quarter. Braidwell LP now owns 5,362,980 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $37,970,000 after acquiring an additional 2,571,100 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,392,319 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $108,978,000 after buying an additional 302,270 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC raised its holdings in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 371.5% during the third quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 404,913 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $2,867,000 after acquiring an additional 319,037 shares during the period. Deerfield Management Company L.P. Series C lifted its position in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 148.6% in the third quarter. Deerfield Management Company L.P. Series C now owns 3,286,000 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $23,265,000 after acquiring an additional 1,964,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rice Hall James & Associates LLC lifted its holdings in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 21.5% in the 3rd quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC now owns 2,275,638 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $16,112,000 after purchasing an additional 402,674 shares in the last quarter. 85.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 0.2 %

The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $4.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $5.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.09 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.46 and a beta of 1.96.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

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.