Raymond James & Associates Has $783,000 Position in Cerus Co. (NASDAQ:CERS)

Raymond James & Associates trimmed its stake in shares of Cerus Co. (NASDAQ:CERS) by 47.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 362,270 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 322,357 shares during the quarter. Raymond James & Associates owned approximately 0.20% of Cerus worth $783,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sepio Capital LP grew its holdings in shares of Cerus by 789.1% during the third quarter. Sepio Capital LP now owns 3,497,407 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $5,280,000 after purchasing an additional 3,104,062 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP increased its position in Cerus by 1,878.8% in the 3rd quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 1,292,053 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $2,093,000 after acquiring an additional 1,226,757 shares during the period. Barclays PLC raised its stake in shares of Cerus by 18.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,408,323 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $2,281,000 after acquiring an additional 221,859 shares during the last quarter. Algert Global LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cerus by 13.6% during the third quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 593,092 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $961,000 after purchasing an additional 71,020 shares during the period. Finally, Walleye Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cerus during the third quarter worth $2,928,000. Institutional investors own 78.37% of the company’s stock.

Cerus Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CERS opened at $1.68 on Wednesday. Cerus Co. has a 1 year low of $1.21 and a 1 year high of $3.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 2.14 and a quick ratio of 1.55. The business’s 50-day moving average is $1.99 and its 200-day moving average is $1.85. The company has a market capitalization of $304.55 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.00 and a beta of 1.29.

Cerus (NASDAQ:CERS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.01) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $46.77 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $46.80 million. Cerus had a negative return on equity of 67.17% and a negative net margin of 23.98%. Equities research analysts predict that Cerus Co. will post -0.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $3.00 price target on shares of Cerus in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Craig Hallum assumed coverage on shares of Cerus in a research report on Friday, April 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $5.00 target price for the company. Finally, Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $2.50 price target on shares of Cerus in a research report on Thursday, March 7th.

Insider Activity at Cerus

In other news, insider Richard J. Benjamin sold 29,378 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.40, for a total transaction of $70,507.20. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 478,061 shares in the company, valued at $1,147,346.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider Richard J. Benjamin sold 29,378 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.40, for a total transaction of $70,507.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 478,061 shares in the company, valued at $1,147,346.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO William Mariner Greenman sold 62,315 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.06, for a total transaction of $128,368.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,244,892 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,684,477.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 177,516 shares of company stock worth $372,912 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 7.05% of the company’s stock.

About Cerus

Cerus Corporation operates as a biomedical products company. The company focuses on developing and commercializing the INTERCEPT Blood System to enhance blood safety. Its INTERCEPT Blood System, a proprietary technology for controlling biological replication that is designed to reduce blood-borne pathogens in donated blood components intended for transfusion.