BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:BCRX) Shares Up 6.5%

Shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:BCRX) shot up 6.5% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $6.61 and last traded at $6.58. 922,568 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 74% from the average session volume of 3,510,592 shares. The stock had previously closed at $6.18.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on BCRX. JMP Securities upped their price objective on BioCryst Pharmaceuticals from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 7th. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $30.00 price target on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, May 7th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $12.00 price target on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, May 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $14.00.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 1.8 %

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $5.87 and a 200-day moving average of $5.63.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:BCRX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 6th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.17) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.23) by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $92.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $85.62 million. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.28) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 34.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -0.66 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Anthony Doyle bought 36,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 14th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $5.57 per share, with a total value of $202,191.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 266,744 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,485,764.08. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other BioCryst Pharmaceuticals news, CFO Anthony Doyle acquired 36,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $5.57 per share, for a total transaction of $202,191.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer now owns 266,744 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,485,764.08. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Steven K. Galson acquired 21,940 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $5.49 per share, with a total value of $120,450.60. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 51,551 shares in the company, valued at approximately $283,014.99. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have bought a total of 103,601 shares of company stock valued at $596,338 over the last quarter. 4.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BioCryst Pharmaceuticals

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BCRX. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at about $54,000. Seven Eight Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter valued at about $57,000. Natixis grew its position in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 400.6% during 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 period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 131.1% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 10,420 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 5,912 shares during the period. Finally, JGP Global Gestao de Recursos Ltda. acquired a new stake in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at about $64,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.88% of the company’s stock.

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.