Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Decreases Position in Cerus Co. (NASDAQ:CERS)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Cerus Co. (NASDAQ:CERS - Free Report) by 8.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 6,461,684 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 578,603 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned 3.48% of Cerus worth $9,951,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Cerus during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Creative Planning grew its stake in Cerus by 51.3% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 24,809 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 8,411 shares in the last quarter. PCA Investment Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Cerus in the fourth quarter worth approximately $46,000. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd grew its stake in Cerus by 38.4% in the third quarter. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd now owns 35,074 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 9,737 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Cerus in the third quarter worth approximately $71,000. Institutional investors own 78.37% of the company's stock.

Cerus Trading Up 2.8 %

NASDAQ:CERS traded up $0.05 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $1.85. The stock had a trading volume of 1,187,161 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,657,808. Cerus Co. has a one year low of $1.38 and a one year high of $2.59. The company has a market capitalization of $343.56 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -16.82 and a beta of 1.29. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $1.74 and a 200 day moving average of $1.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Eric Bjerkholt sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1.78, for a total value of $35,600.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 162,133 shares of the company's stock, valued at $288,596.74. This represents a 10.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 3.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.