uniQure (NASDAQ:QURE) Short Interest Up 43.9% in March

uniQure (NASDAQ:QURE) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,390,000 shares, an increase of 43.9% from the March 15th total of 3,050,000 shares. Approximately 9.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,170,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.8 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on QURE. StockNews.com raised shares of uniQure to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $24.00 target price on shares of uniQure in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on uniQure from $35.00 to $30.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 28th. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of uniQure in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Chardan Capital began coverage on uniQure in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $38.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $38.80.

Insider Buying and Selling at uniQure

In other news, CEO Matthew C. Kapusta sold 6,717 shares of uniQure stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.32, for a total transaction of $76,036.44. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 580,795 shares in the company, valued at $6,574,599.40. This trade represents a 1.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Christian Klemt sold 2,916 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 155,168 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,756,501.76. The trade was a 1.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 90,830 shares of company stock valued at $961,401 over the last ninety days. 4.74% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On uniQure

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of QURE. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in shares of uniQure by 355.2% in the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 334,894 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $3,550,000 after purchasing an additional 261,323 shares during the period. Sanders Morris Harris LLC grew its stake in shares of uniQure by 12.5% in the 1st quarter. Sanders Morris Harris LLC now owns 114,887 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,139,000 after buying an additional 12,783 shares during the period. Voloridge Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of uniQure during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,129,000. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of uniQure during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,484,000. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its position in shares of uniQure by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 756,900 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $13,367,000 after buying an additional 10,400 shares during the period. 78.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

uniQure Trading Up 38.4 %

QURE stock opened at $13.00 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $11.89 and its 200 day moving average is $11.28. uniQure has a 12-month low of $3.73 and a 12-month high of $19.18. The stock has a market cap of $703.00 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.62 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a current ratio of 6.51, a quick ratio of 6.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

About uniQure

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.