Cerus (NASDAQ:CERS) Insider Richard Benjamin Sells 61,233 Shares of Stock

Cerus Corporation (NASDAQ:CERS) insider Richard Benjamin sold 61,233 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.06, for a total value of $126,139.98. Following the sale, the insider owned 943,762 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,944,149.72. This represents a 6.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Cerus Price Performance

Cerus stock opened at $1.93 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $370.89 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -24.13 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a current ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Cerus Corporation has a 12 month low of $1.12 and a 12 month high of $2.96. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $2.31 and its 200-day moving average is $1.86.

Cerus (NASDAQ:CERS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 2nd. The biotechnology company reported ($0.01) earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of ($0.01). Cerus had a negative return on equity of 26.09% and a negative net margin of 7.58%.The business had revenue of $64.58 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $59.31 million. Equities research analysts expect that Cerus Corporation will post -0.08 EPS for the current year.

Key Cerus News

Here are the key news stories impacting Cerus this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data flagged an apparent increase for the March 9 reporting period but shows 0 shares and reports a days-to-cover of 0.0 — the print looks incorrect or incomplete and should be treated as unreliable until exchanges update filings.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts overview: The Globe and Mail ran a piece discussing analysts’ views on Cerus alongside peers (Fennec). That coverage provides context but does not appear to contain new company-specific catalysts. Analysts Offer Insights on Healthcare Companies: Cerus (CERS) and Fennec Pharmaceuticals (FENC)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: several insiders disclosed sales between Mar. 5–9 that reduce insider ownership by low-single-digit to mid-single-digit percentages. Notable filings: CEO William Mariner Greenman sold 78,187 shares (~$157k). COO Vivek Jayaraman sold 34,094 shares (~$68.5k). CFO Kevin D. Green sold 27,796 shares (~$55.9k). Director Richard J. Benjamin reported multiple sales (61,233; 40,426; 24,235 shares) at ~$2.06–$1.88 across Mar. 5–9. Insider Chrystal Jensen sold 30,845 shares (~$62k). Collectively, these are meaningful in signaling added supply and may weigh on sentiment even if sales were for personal/liquidity reasons. CEO filing: http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1020214/000137725826000004/xslF345X05/ownership.xml COO filing: http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1020214/000160545626000004/xslF345X05/ownership.xml Chrystal Jensen filing: http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1020214/000156425226000004/xslF345X05/ownership.xml Richard Benjamin filings: http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1020214/000129632226000004/xslF345X05/ownership.xml CFO filing: http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1020214/000145935126000005/xslF345X05/ownership.xml

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its stake in Cerus by 15.3% during the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 37,051 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 4,916 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Cerus by 8.1% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 81,556 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $169,000 after purchasing an additional 6,094 shares during the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP raised its holdings in shares of Cerus by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 142,958 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $294,000 after buying an additional 6,415 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Cerus by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 93,343 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $148,000 after buying an additional 7,355 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in shares of Cerus by 68.4% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 18,712 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 7,603 shares during the last quarter. 78.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Cerus from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Cerus in a report on Monday, January 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

About Cerus

Cerus Corporation is a biomedical products company dedicated to enhancing the safety of blood transfusions worldwide. Its flagship offering, the INTERCEPT Blood System, employs pathogen reduction technology designed to inactivate a broad spectrum of viruses, bacteria, and parasites in donated platelets and plasma. This approach aims to mitigate the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections and improve blood component safety for patients.

The INTERCEPT platform integrates seamlessly into existing blood center workflows, providing a one-step treatment process for collected blood products.