Kura Oncology (NASDAQ:KURA) COO Sells $39,431.00 in Stock

Kura Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ:KURA) COO Kathleen Ford sold 3,668 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.75, for a total value of $39,431.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 142,986 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,537,099.50. This represents a 2.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Kathleen Ford also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, September 28th, Kathleen Ford sold 6,906 shares of Kura Oncology stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.50, for a total value of $72,513.00.

Kura Oncology Stock Performance

Shares of Kura Oncology stock opened at $10.65 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $11.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $10.19. The company has a current ratio of 4.73, a quick ratio of 4.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. Kura Oncology, Inc. has a 12 month low of $7.36 and a 12 month high of $13.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $947.42 million, a P/E ratio of -3.16 and a beta of 0.47.

Kura Oncology (NASDAQ:KURA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 12th. The company reported ($0.77) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.88) by $0.11. Kura Oncology had a negative return on equity of 207.18% and a negative net margin of 384.30%.The firm had revenue of $20.87 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.16 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that Kura Oncology, Inc. will post -3.25 EPS for the current year.

Kura Oncology News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Kura Oncology this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan initiated coverage of Kura Oncology with an “overweight” rating and a $30 price target, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. The firm views Kura as a promising precision-cancer-medicine developer, particularly because of its menin-inhibitor platform and lead program, ziftomenib, for genetically defined acute myeloid leukemia. JPMorgan Kura Oncology rating article
• Positive Sentiment: CNBC highlighted JPMorgan’s view that KURA could nearly triple, reinforcing the potential valuation impact of successful clinical and regulatory execution. The bullish outlook is particularly important for a biotechnology stock trading below the average analyst target of approximately $25.40. CNBC Kura Oncology analyst outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Kura’s financial position remains relatively liquid, with a reported quick ratio of 4.71 and current ratio of 4.73, but the company remains unprofitable and analysts expect a significant full-year loss. That means the stock’s valuation continues to depend heavily on clinical progress rather than current earnings.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insiders, including executives Kathleen Ford, Brian Powl, Mollie Leoni, Thomas Doyle and Teresa Bair, sold shares in late September and October 1. The reported transactions represent roughly 97,000 shares and more than $1 million in proceeds, creating a potential near-term overhang. The sales do not necessarily indicate deteriorating business prospects, since the insiders retained meaningful holdings, but they may weigh on investor confidence. Kura Oncology insider sales

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of KURA. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Kura Oncology during the 2nd quarter valued at $115,286,000. Armistice Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kura Oncology by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Armistice Capital LLC now owns 4,936,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,285,000 after acquiring an additional 264,000 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of Kura Oncology in the second quarter worth $12,735,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Kura Oncology by 32.3% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,425,945 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,591,000 after purchasing an additional 348,127 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Kura Oncology in the second quarter valued at $10,927,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on KURA shares. Citizens Jmp restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $24.00 price objective on shares of Kura Oncology in a report on Monday, August 24th. CLSA set a $24.00 target price on shares of Kura Oncology in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Kura Oncology in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Kura Oncology in a research report on Thursday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $30.00 target price for the company. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $24.00 price target on shares of Kura Oncology in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kura Oncology presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $25.69.

Kura Oncology Company Profile

Kura Oncology, Inc is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing precision medicines for the treatment of cancer. The company’s research programs target specific genetic and molecular abnormalities that contribute to tumor growth, with an emphasis on hematologic malignancies and selected solid tumors.

Kura’s leading program has been ziftomenib, an oral, selective menin inhibitor being developed for genetically defined forms of acute myeloid leukemia, including cancers with NPM1 mutations or certain KMT2A rearrangements.