BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:BCRX) Shares Up 9.1% - Still a Buy?

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:BCRX - Get Free Report)'s share price shot up 9.1% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $8.80 and last traded at $8.83. 465,502 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 2,361,642 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.09.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on BCRX shares. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on BioCryst Pharmaceuticals from $10.00 to $12.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. JMP Securities reissued a "market outperform" rating and set a $18.00 target price on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $10.00 price target on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on BioCryst Pharmaceuticals from $7.00 to $8.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, BioCryst Pharmaceuticals has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $15.50.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $1.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -14.29 and a beta of 1.75. The business has a fifty day moving average of $7.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $7.72.

Institutional Trading of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Counterweight Ventures LLC boosted its position in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 591.7% in the 3rd quarter. Counterweight Ventures LLC now owns 93,384 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $710,000 after buying an additional 79,884 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 40.7% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 299,152 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $2,274,000 after acquiring an additional 86,571 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 1,058.1% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 411,414 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $3,127,000 after purchasing an additional 375,890 shares in the last quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC grew its position in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 4.0% in the third quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC now owns 2,163,743 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $16,444,000 after purchasing an additional 84,102 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 16.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 3,338,062 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $25,369,000 after purchasing an additional 481,359 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.88% of the company's stock.

About BioCryst Pharmaceuticals

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a biotechnology company, develops oral small-molecule and protein therapeutics to treat rare diseases. The company markets peramivir injection, an intravenous neuraminidase inhibitor for the treatment of acute uncomplicated influenza under the RAPIVAB, RAPIACTA, and PERAMIFLU names; and ORLADEYO, an oral serine protease inhibitor to treat hereditary angioedema.