Kura Oncology's Rating Downgraded to 'Hold' by StockNews.com

Kura Oncology (NASDAQ:KURA) has seen a shift in its stock rating. Equities research analysts at StockNews.com have changed the rating of Kura Oncology from "buy" to "hold" in a report released to investors on Tuesday.

Recent Analyst Opinions

Other research firms have also recently reviewed Kura Oncology. For instance, Jefferies Financial Group reduced its target price for the stock from $32.00 to $28.00 while maintaining a "buy" rating. This change was announced in a report dated November 21st. Furthermore, BTIG Research adjusted its stance from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating back on February 6th. In another report on February 27th, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a price objective of $40.00 for Kura Oncology shares. On March 6th, UBS Group decreased its price target on the stock from $27.00 to $14.00, also maintaining a "buy" rating. Lastly, Scotiabank reduced its price objective from $18.00 to $10.00 and assigned a "sector perform" rating in a research note issued January 8th. Overall, there are four research analysts giving a hold rating, while seven analysts have issued a buy rating, and two view it as a strong buy. As per MarketBeat, the consensus rating for Kura Oncology stands at "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $25.50.

Kura Oncology Stock Overview

On Tuesday, shares of Kura Oncology traded up by $0.05, reaching $7.34, with a trading volume of 1,021,294 shares—slightly under the average volume of 1,057,433. The market capitalization of Kura Oncology is approximately $592.74 million, with a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.11 and a beta of 0.85. Over the last year, the stock has recorded a low of $6.79 and a high of $23.48. Financial ratios indicate a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, with quick and current ratios both at 11.47. The company also holds a 50-day simple moving average of $7.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $12.65.

Recent Earnings Report

Kura Oncology's last earnings report was released on February 26th, where the company reported earnings per share of ($0.22), exceeding the consensus estimate of ($0.65) by $0.43. The total revenue reported for the quarter was $53.88 million, which was lower than the analysts' expectation of $57.96 million. Analysts predict that Kura Oncology will post an EPS of -2.44 for the current financial year.

Insider Selling Activity

In related news, insider Mollie Leoni sold 4,963 shares of Kura Oncology's stock on January 28th, at an average price of $7.87, totaling about $39,058.81. Following this transaction, Leoni now holds 88,253 shares valued at approximately $694,551.11. Additionally, SVP Thomas James Doyle sold 4,949 shares on the same date, also at an average price of $7.87, aggregating $38,948.63. Doyle's residual ownership is 88,193 shares, valued at approximately $694,078.91. This sale represented a decrease in ownership of about 5.31%. Over the last three months, insiders have sold a total of 11,729 shares valued at $92,307, with insiders currently owning 5.50% of the company's shares.

Institutional Investor Activity

Several institutional investors have recently adjusted their stakes in Kura Oncology. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its stake by 35.2% during the third quarter, now holding 29,655 shares valued at $579,000. Intech Investment Management LLC entered a new position during the same quarter worth approximately $298,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake by 2.3%, acquiring an additional 14,106 shares, bringing its total to 624,952 shares valued at $12,212,000. Algert Global LLC also saw an increase in its stake by 4.4%, now owning 272,276 shares with a value of $5,320,000. Lastly, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd. bought a new position during the third quarter, valued at approximately $596,000.

About Kura Oncology

Kura Oncology, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing therapies for cancer treatment. Its pipeline includes several small molecule product candidates aimed at targeting cancer. The lead candidates are ziftomenib, a small molecule inhibitor of the menin-KMT2A interaction for specific acute leukemias; tipifarnib, a farnesyl transferase inhibitor combined with alpelisib for patients with PIK3CA-dependent head and neck cancer; and KO-2806, another farnesyl transferase inhibitor aimed at solid tumors.

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