Amundi Sells 181,803 Shares of Alkermes plc (NASDAQ:ALKS)

Amundi decreased its position in Alkermes plc (NASDAQ:ALKS) by 68.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 83,663 shares of the company’s stock after selling 181,803 shares during the quarter. Amundi’s holdings in Alkermes were worth $2,378,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alkermes in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Alkermes by 2,231.5% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 1,629 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Alkermes by 558.5% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,950 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,000 after buying an additional 2,502 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its position in Alkermes by 18.8% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,890 shares of the company’s stock worth $137,000 after buying an additional 774 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in Alkermes during the 4th quarter worth about $203,000. Institutional investors own 95.21% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Craig C. Hopkinson sold 144,419 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.53, for a total transaction of $5,131,207.07. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 57,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,056,298.75. This represents a 71.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 4.89% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Alkermes Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ALKS opened at $34.03 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.62. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $32.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $29.86. Alkermes plc has a fifty-two week low of $22.90 and a fifty-two week high of $36.45.

Alkermes (NASDAQ:ALKS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.11. Alkermes had a net margin of 23.57% and a return on equity of 30.80%. Equities research analysts expect that Alkermes plc will post 1.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on ALKS. Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on shares of Alkermes in a research report on Thursday. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $40.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Alkermes from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Alkermes from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Alkermes in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $40.00 target price on the stock. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a “neutral” rating and set a $46.00 target price on shares of Alkermes in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $38.46.

Alkermes Company Profile

Alkermes plc, a biopharmaceutical company, researches, develops, and commercializes pharmaceutical products to address unmet medical needs of patients in therapeutic areas in the United States, Ireland, and internationally. It has a portfolio of proprietary commercial products for the treatment of alcohol dependence, opioid dependence, schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder and a pipeline of clinical and preclinical product candidates in development for neurological disorders.