ARK Investment Management LLC Buys 852,420 Shares of Cerus Co. (NASDAQ:CERS)

ARK Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Cerus Co. (NASDAQ:CERS) by 4.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 20,914,326 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 852,420 shares during the quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.12% of Cerus worth $45,175,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of CERS. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Cerus during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Graham Capital Management L.P. purchased a new position in Cerus during the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Ionic Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Cerus during the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. Dark Forest Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Cerus during the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. purchased a new position in Cerus during the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors own 78.37% of the company’s stock.

Cerus Price Performance

Shares of CERS stock opened at $1.79 on Thursday. Cerus Co. has a twelve month low of $1.21 and a twelve month high of $3.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $324.49 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.52 and a beta of 1.31. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $2.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1.82. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CERS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $3.00 price objective on shares of Cerus in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $2.50 price objective on shares of Cerus in a report on Thursday, March 7th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Chrystal Jensen sold 17,460 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.06, for a total transaction of $35,967.60. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 508,736 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,047,996.16. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, insider Chrystal Jensen sold 17,460 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.06, for a total transaction of $35,967.60. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 508,736 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,047,996.16. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO William Mariner Greenman sold 62,315 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.06, for a total value of $128,368.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,244,892 shares in the company, valued at $6,684,477.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 177,516 shares of company stock worth $372,912 in the last three months. 7.05% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.