Erste Asset Management GmbH Sells 125,800 Shares of Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. $OCUL

Erste Asset Management GmbH decreased its position in shares of Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. (NASDAQ:OCUL) by 53.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 110,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 125,800 shares during the quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH owned about 0.05% of Ocular Therapeutix worth $1,353,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in Ocular Therapeutix by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 72,618 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $674,000 after acquiring an additional 1,314 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its stake in Ocular Therapeutix by 24.3% during the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 8,950 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $109,000 after acquiring an additional 1,750 shares during the last quarter. Profund Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Ocular Therapeutix by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 25,178 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $294,000 after acquiring an additional 2,272 shares during the last quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Ocular Therapeutix by 21.2% during the 2nd quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 13,413 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $124,000 after acquiring an additional 2,343 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning boosted its stake in Ocular Therapeutix by 14.6% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 24,535 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $287,000 after acquiring an additional 3,125 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 59.21% of the company’s stock.

Ocular Therapeutix Price Performance

NASDAQ OCUL opened at $8.74 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 14.73, a current ratio of 14.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. has a 12-month low of $6.23 and a 12-month high of $16.44. The company has a market capitalization of $1.91 billion, a PE ratio of -5.99 and a beta of 0.89. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $8.88 and its 200-day moving average is $10.04.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Pravin Dugel sold 21,156 shares of Ocular Therapeutix stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.20, for a total value of $173,479.20. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 2,597,170 shares in the company, valued at $21,296,794. This trade represents a 0.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 28,999 shares of company stock valued at $237,792 in the last 90 days. 2.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on OCUL. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Ocular Therapeutix from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Chardan Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $21.00 price target on shares of Ocular Therapeutix in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $30.00 price target on shares of Ocular Therapeutix in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $18.00 price target on shares of Ocular Therapeutix in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Ocular Therapeutix in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $23.78.

Ocular Therapeutix Company Profile

Ocular Therapeutix, Inc is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of innovative therapies for diseases and conditions of the eye. Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Bedford, Massachusetts, the company focuses on sustained-release drug delivery platforms designed to address key unmet needs in ophthalmology. Its proprietary hydrogel-based inserts and sealants aim to improve patient compliance and outcomes by providing controlled release of active pharmaceutical ingredients directly to ocular tissues.

The company’s flagship product, DEXTENZA®, is a preservative-free, sustained-release dexamethasone intracanalicular insert approved by the U.S.