uniQure (NASDAQ:QURE) Shares Gap Down After Earnings Miss

Shares of uniQure N.V. (NASDAQ:QURE) gapped down before the market opened on Monday following a weaker than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $27.79, but opened at $26.50. uniQure shares last traded at $26.7520, with a volume of 901,873 shares traded.

The biotechnology company reported ($1.38) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.85) by ($0.53). The firm had revenue of $3.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.46 million. uniQure had a negative net margin of 1,387.98% and a negative return on equity of 1,010.74%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on QURE shares. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price on shares of uniQure from $47.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 25th. William Blair reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of uniQure in a report on Tuesday. Guggenheim upped their price target on uniQure from $28.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Wall Street Zen raised uniQure from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, Chardan Capital reissued a “buy” rating and set a $53.00 price objective on shares of uniQure in a research report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, uniQure presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at uniQure

In other news, Director Jack Kaye sold 38,810 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.34, for a total value of $1,177,495.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 20,439 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $620,119.26. This represents a 65.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Matthew C. Kapusta sold 226,316 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.46, for a total value of $9,383,061.36. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 651,454 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,009,282.84. This represents a 25.78% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 314,560 shares of company stock valued at $12,362,568. Company insiders own 4.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On uniQure

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Private Trust Co. NA acquired a new position in uniQure in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in shares of uniQure by 509.0% in the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 609 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 509 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in shares of uniQure by 358.0% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,085 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 5,538 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in uniQure during the second quarter worth about $117,000. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas acquired a new stake in uniQure in the second quarter valued at about $151,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.83% of the company’s stock.

uniQure Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 9.98, a quick ratio of 9.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $42.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $24.50. The company has a market cap of $1.69 billion, a PE ratio of -7.87 and a beta of 0.59.

About uniQure

uniQure N.V. develops treatments for patients suffering from rare and other devastating diseases. It offers HEMGENIX that has completed Phase III HOPE-B pivotal trial for the treatment of hemophilia B. The company also develops AMT-130, a gene therapy that is in Phase I/II clinical study for the treatment of Huntington's disease.