Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Has $12.25 Million Stake in Cerus Co. (NASDAQ:CERS)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. reduced its holdings in Cerus Co. (NASDAQ:CERS - Free Report) by 6.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,040,287 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 457,953 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned 3.80% of Cerus worth $12,250,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Cerus by 1.1% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,983,963 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $18,870,000 after acquiring an additional 113,292 shares during the period. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC raised its stake in Cerus by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 2,696,560 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $5,096,000 after purchasing an additional 114,628 shares during the period. Hood River Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cerus by 390.4% in the second quarter. Hood River Capital Management LLC now owns 1,469,754 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $2,587,000 after purchasing an additional 1,170,060 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of Cerus by 6.0% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,257,571 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $2,188,000 after buying an additional 71,007 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of Cerus by 10.2% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 614,446 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,081,000 after buying an additional 57,073 shares in the last quarter. 78.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Kevin Dennis Green sold 28,385 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.18, for a total transaction of $61,879.30. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 590,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,286,995.70. The trade was a 4.59 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 3.40% of the company's stock.

Cerus Stock Down 2.9 %

Shares of CERS stock traded down $0.05 on Monday, hitting $1.67. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,006,842 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,296,796. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 1.92. Cerus Co. has a fifty-two week low of $1.38 and a fifty-two week high of $2.59. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $1.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $1.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $310.14 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -15.18 and a beta of 1.20.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Cerus from $6.00 to $3.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 17th.

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.