Kura Oncology (NASDAQ:KURA) Trading Up 7.3% – Should You Buy?

Kura Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ:KURA)’s stock price rose 7.3% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $12.10 and last traded at $11.9380. Approximately 299,178 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 1,583,091 shares. The stock had previously closed at $11.13.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on KURA shares. Guggenheim began coverage on Kura Oncology in a report on Thursday, September 4th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $38.00 price target (up from $36.00) on shares of Kura Oncology in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Wall Street Zen raised Kura Oncology from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, August 17th. Zacks Research raised Kura Oncology from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $40.00 price target on shares of Kura Oncology in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $26.57.

Kura Oncology Trading Up 0.1%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 5.12 and a quick ratio of 5.12. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $10.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $8.00. The firm has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a PE ratio of -4.83 and a beta of 0.21.

Kura Oncology (NASDAQ:KURA) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported ($0.85) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.57) by ($0.28). The business had revenue of $20.75 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.48 million. Kura Oncology had a negative net margin of 208.48% and a negative return on equity of 65.42%. Analysts forecast that Kura Oncology, Inc. will post -2.44 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Mollie Leoni sold 15,485 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.18, for a total value of $173,122.30. Following the sale, the insider owned 225,454 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,520,575.72. This represents a 6.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Troy Edward Wilson bought 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 8th. The shares were bought at an average price of $8.20 per share, for a total transaction of $410,000.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 100,968 shares in the company, valued at $827,937.60. The trade was a 98.10% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 122,675 shares of company stock worth $1,196,657. 6.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kura Oncology

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Kura Oncology by 101.6% during the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 2,224,590 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,688,000 after buying an additional 1,121,228 shares during the period. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Kura Oncology in the 3rd quarter valued at $188,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Kura Oncology during the 3rd quarter worth $1,105,000. Mariner LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kura Oncology by 476.5% during the third quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 62,013 shares of the company’s stock worth $549,000 after purchasing an additional 51,256 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV purchased a new stake in shares of Kura Oncology in the third quarter valued at $291,000.

Kura Oncology Company Profile

Kura Oncology, Inc, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, develops medicines for the treatment of cancer. The company’s pipeline consists of small molecule product candidates that target cancer. Its lead product candidates are ziftomenib, an orally bioavailable small molecule inhibitor of the menin-KMT2A interaction for the treatment of genetically defined subsets of acute leukemias, including acute myeloid leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia; tipifarnib, an orally bioavailable farnesyl transferase inhibitor combination with alpelisib for patients with PIK3CA-dependent HNSCC; and KO-2806, a farnesyl transferase inhibitor for the treatment of solid tumors.