uniQure (NASDAQ:QURE) Shares Gap Up – Should You Buy?

uniQure N.V. (NASDAQ:QURE) gapped up before the market opened on Thursday. The stock had previously closed at $22.69, but opened at $23.40. uniQure shares last traded at $23.2250, with a volume of 541,222 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

QURE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded uniQure from a “sell (e+)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a report on Monday, September 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $75.00 price target on shares of uniQure in a report on Tuesday, September 29th. Mizuho upped their price target on uniQure from $35.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. William Blair raised uniQure to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on uniQure from $65.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $53.25.

uniQure Price Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average is $37.89 and its 200 day moving average is $34.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.60 billion, a PE ratio of -5.76 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a quick ratio of 10.01, a current ratio of 10.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

uniQure (NASDAQ:QURE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The biotechnology company reported ($1.22) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.82) by ($0.40). uniQure had a negative net margin of 1,350.73% and a negative return on equity of 111.96%. The company had revenue of $5.84 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.45 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.69) EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that uniQure N.V. will post -3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On uniQure

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. IFP Advisors Inc grew its stake in uniQure by 18.0% in the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 3,280 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management acquired a new position in uniQure in the 3rd quarter worth about $121,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in uniQure by 35.1% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 693,693 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $16,760,000 after purchasing an additional 180,163 shares during the last quarter. Sanders Morris Harris LLC purchased a new stake in shares of uniQure during the 3rd quarter worth about $468,000. Finally, Two Seas Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of uniQure during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,988,000. 78.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About uniQure

uniQure N.V. is a biotechnology company focused on developing gene therapies for serious and life-threatening diseases. The company uses adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors and other genetic medicine technologies to deliver therapeutic genes intended to address the underlying causes of disease.

uniQure’s best-known product is HEMGENIX, a gene therapy for adults with hemophilia B caused by factor IX deficiency. HEMGENIX was developed by uniQure and is commercialized by CSL Behring under a global licensing agreement.