Virtu Financial LLC Takes $33,000 Position in Cerus Co. (NASDAQ:CERS)

Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in Cerus Co. (NASDAQ:CERS) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 21,639 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of CERS. ARK Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Cerus by 14.2% in the 4th quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 20,814,752 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $32,055,000 after purchasing an additional 2,589,721 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Cerus in the fourth quarter worth about $376,000. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in Cerus by 16.2% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 1,575,049 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $2,740,000 after buying an additional 219,755 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Cerus during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $277,000. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Cerus by 1,182.9% during the 3rd quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 132,628 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $231,000 after acquiring an additional 122,290 shares during the period. 78.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO William Mariner Greenman sold 23,023 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1.55, for a total transaction of $35,685.65. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,230,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,006,500. This represents a 0.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Richard J. Benjamin sold 18,949 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1.45, for a total transaction of $27,476.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 715,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,037,982.50. This trade represents a 2.58 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 441,150 shares of company stock worth $665,210 in the last three months. Company insiders own 3.40% of the company’s stock.

Cerus Stock Down 0.7 %

Cerus stock opened at $1.38 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $256.39 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.55 and a beta of 1.56. 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 12 month low of $1.34 and a 12 month high of $2.54. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $1.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1.71.

Cerus (NASDAQ:CERS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.01) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of ($0.01). Cerus had a negative return on equity of 40.55% and a negative net margin of 11.60%. The business had revenue of $50.81 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $50.81 million. Equities analysts predict that Cerus Co. will post -0.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Cerus Profile

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.