uniQure (NASDAQ:QURE) Trading 9% Higher – Still a Buy?

Shares of uniQure (NASDAQ:QURE) traded up 9% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $13.66 and last traded at $13.62. 525,182 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 48% from the average session volume of 1,012,642 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.50.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on QURE. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $24.00 price objective on shares of uniQure in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Mizuho lifted their target price on uniQure from $7.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Raymond James upgraded shares of uniQure from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $20.00 to $52.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Leerink Partners increased their target price on shares of uniQure from $26.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on shares of uniQure from $28.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $38.89.

uniQure Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 6.51 and a quick ratio of 6.51. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $14.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $10.09. The company has a market capitalization of $721.39 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.69 and a beta of 0.36.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Christian Klemt sold 2,916 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.32, for a total transaction of $33,009.12. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 155,168 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,756,501.76. This trade represents a 1.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Matthew C. Kapusta sold 26,727 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.70, for a total value of $285,978.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 571,188 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,111,711.60. This trade represents a 4.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 90,830 shares of company stock worth $961,401 over the last three months. Insiders own 4.74% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. RTW Investments LP acquired a new stake in uniQure during the third quarter worth approximately $49,000. Atria Investments Inc acquired a new stake in shares of uniQure during the 3rd quarter worth $53,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of uniQure during the 3rd quarter worth $58,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in uniQure in the third quarter valued at about $69,000. Finally, Twin Tree Management LP acquired a new position in shares of uniQure in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $77,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.83% of the company’s stock.

uniQure Company Profile

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.