Intech Investment Management LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Cerus Co. (NASDAQ:CERS)

Intech Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Cerus Co. (NASDAQ:CERS) by 136.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 97,030 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 55,983 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC owned 0.05% of Cerus worth $149,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rockport Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cerus in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Cibc World Markets Corp acquired a new stake in Cerus in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Cerus in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. PCA Investment Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Cerus during the fourth quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new stake in shares of Cerus during the 4th quarter valued at $169,000. 78.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $4.00 target price on shares of Cerus in a research note on Friday, February 21st.

Cerus Stock Up 0.7 %

NASDAQ:CERS opened at $1.44 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. Cerus Co. has a twelve month low of $1.38 and a twelve month high of $2.54. The company has a market cap of $267.54 million, a PE ratio of -13.09 and a beta of 1.56. The company’s 50 day moving average is $1.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1.72.

Cerus (NASDAQ:CERS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.01) earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $50.81 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $50.81 million. Cerus had a negative net margin of 11.60% and a negative return on equity of 40.55%. Analysts anticipate that Cerus Co. will post -0.08 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Cerus news, CEO William Mariner Greenman sold 23,023 shares of Cerus stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1.55, for a total transaction of $35,685.65. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,230,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,006,500. The trade was a 0.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Kevin Dennis Green sold 60,656 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1.58, for a total transaction of $95,836.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 493,862 shares in the company, valued at $780,301.96. The trade was a 10.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 441,150 shares of company stock valued at $665,210. Company insiders own 3.40% 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.