Kura Oncology (NASDAQ:KURA) Rating Lowered to “Sell” at Wall Street Zen

Kura Oncology (NASDAQ:KURA) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on KURA. UBS Group upped their price target on Kura Oncology from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $40.00 price objective on shares of Kura Oncology in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Kura Oncology in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research lowered Kura Oncology from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $28.00 price target (up previously from $11.00) on shares of Kura Oncology in a report on Monday, November 24th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kura Oncology presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $28.00.

Kura Oncology Stock Up 3.6%

KURA stock opened at $8.31 on Friday. Kura Oncology has a one year low of $5.41 and a one year high of $12.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 5.12 and a current ratio of 5.12. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $9.38 and its 200 day moving average is $9.16. The firm has a market cap of $723.14 million, a PE ratio of -3.35 and a beta of 0.23.

Insider Transactions at Kura Oncology

In related news, insider Brian T. Powl sold 6,414 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.46, for a total value of $54,262.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 183,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,550,506.50. This represents a 3.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Mollie Leoni sold 8,180 shares of Kura Oncology stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.46, for a total transaction of $69,202.80. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 267,274 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,261,138.04. This trade represents a 2.97% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 59,794 shares of company stock worth $537,176 in the last quarter. 6.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Kura Oncology

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in Kura Oncology by 115.3% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 1,284 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Kura Oncology by 392.8% in the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,854 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 3,072 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in shares of Kura Oncology by 59.9% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,553 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Kura Oncology by 127.2% in the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 6,732 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 3,769 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in Kura Oncology by 471.3% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 12,071 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 9,958 shares in the last quarter.

Kura Oncology Company Profile

Kura Oncology, Inc (NASDAQ: KURA) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of targeted oncology therapies. Headquartered in La Jolla, California, the company leverages expertise in molecular biology and precision medicine to identify key drivers of cancer growth and design small-molecule inhibitors that block those pathways. Kura’s research platform integrates genomic insights with medicinal chemistry to advance candidates against well-validated targets in solid tumors and hematologic malignancies.

The company’s lead clinical candidate, tipifarnib, is a farnesyltransferase inhibitor being evaluated for the treatment of HRAS-mutant head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and various non-small cell lung cancers.