Insider Selling: Kura Oncology (NASDAQ:KURA) Insider Sells $165,872.50 in Stock

Kura Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ:KURA) insider Brian Powl sold 15,430 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.75, for a total transaction of $165,872.50. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 136,819 shares in the company, valued at $1,470,804.25. This represents a 10.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Kura Oncology Trading Down 0.6%

NASDAQ KURA opened at $10.65 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 4.71 and a current ratio of 4.73. The firm has a market cap of $947.42 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.16 and a beta of 0.47. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $11.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $10.19. Kura Oncology, Inc. has a one year low of $7.36 and a one year high of $13.90.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on KURA shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Kura Oncology in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. CLSA set a $24.00 price target on shares of Kura Oncology in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $24.00 price objective on shares of Kura Oncology in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $24.00 price objective on shares of Kura Oncology in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Kura Oncology in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Kura Oncology currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $25.69.

Key Headlines Impacting Kura Oncology

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 Investors Weigh In On Kura Oncology

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Kura Oncology by 32.3% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,425,945 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,591,000 after purchasing an additional 348,127 shares during the last quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Kura Oncology by 69.7% during the second quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 568,845 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,240,000 after purchasing an additional 233,633 shares in the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kura Oncology in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,851,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kura Oncology by 285.6% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 158,850 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,291,000 after purchasing an additional 117,650 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kura Oncology in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,029,000.

About Kura Oncology

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.