Cerus Co. (NASDAQ:CERS) Insider Richard J. Benjamin Sells 18,949 Shares

Cerus Co. (NASDAQ:CERS) insider Richard J. Benjamin sold 18,949 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1.45, for a total value of $27,476.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 715,850 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,037,982.50. This represents a 2.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Cerus Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CERS opened at $1.45 on Tuesday. Cerus Co. has a 1-year low of $1.38 and a 1-year high of $2.54. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $1.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1.75. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $269.40 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -13.18 and a beta of 1.56.

Cerus (NASDAQ:CERS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.01) earnings per share for the quarter, meeting 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 firm had revenue of $50.81 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $50.81 million. On average, equities analysts expect that Cerus Co. will post -0.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cerus

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CERS. Rockport Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Cerus in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cerus during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Cibc World Markets Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Cerus during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Cerus during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cerus during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.37% of the company’s stock.

Cerus Company 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.