Cerus Co. (NASDAQ:CERS) Shares Sold by Raymond James & Associates

Raymond James & Associates reduced its holdings in Cerus Co. (NASDAQ:CERS – Get Rating) by 5.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 1,193,807 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 67,400 shares during the quarter. Raymond James & Associates’ holdings in Cerus were worth $4,357,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CERS. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Cerus in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Capital Impact Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Cerus in the third quarter worth approximately $49,000. Versor Investments LP bought a new position in Cerus during the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. Prelude Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Cerus by 28.1% during the 3rd quarter. Prelude Capital Management LLC now owns 20,264 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 4,445 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Cerus by 59.2% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 13,453 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 5,004 shares during the period. 82.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com began coverage on Cerus in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a “sell” rating for the company.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Cerus news, COO Vivek K. Jayaraman sold 25,356 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.80, for a total transaction of $70,996.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 641,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,797,210.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Cerus news, COO Vivek K. Jayaraman sold 25,356 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.80, for a total transaction of $70,996.80. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 641,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,797,210.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Carol Moore sold 13,078 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.80, for a total value of $36,618.40. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 407,598 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,141,274.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 131,545 shares of company stock valued at $368,326. 7.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Cerus Trading Up 4.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CERS opened at $2.03 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a current ratio of 2.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $366.52 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.52 and a beta of 1.03. Cerus Co. has a 1-year low of $1.76 and a 1-year high of $5.95. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $2.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $3.09.

Cerus (NASDAQ:CERS – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 28th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.08) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $44.03 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $41.40 million. Cerus had a negative return on equity of 66.12% and a negative net margin of 29.64%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Cerus Co. will post -0.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cerus Company Profile

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Cerus Corp. engages in the research, development, and manufacturing of biomedical and surgical products. The firm produces blood system for platelets and plasma. It operates through Blood Safety segment. It markets products under the INTERCEPT brand. The company was founded by Laurence M. Corash and John E.