AtonRa Partners Sells 560 Shares of Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:NBIX)

AtonRa Partners lowered its holdings in Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:NBIX) by 10.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,002 shares of the company’s stock after selling 560 shares during the period. Neurocrine Biosciences comprises about 1.3% of AtonRa Partners’ portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. AtonRa Partners’ holdings in Neurocrine Biosciences were worth $659,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in shares of Neurocrine Biosciences by 120.6% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 584,539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,761,000 after acquiring an additional 319,564 shares during the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP raised its stake in shares of Neurocrine Biosciences by 73.0% during the 3rd quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 649,292 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,045,000 after purchasing an additional 273,952 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Neurocrine Biosciences by 59.0% in the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 692,374 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,892,000 after buying an additional 256,920 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its stake in shares of Neurocrine Biosciences by 86.0% in the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 409,475 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,066,000 after buying an additional 189,345 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in Neurocrine Biosciences by 81.9% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 410,103 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,035,000 after buying an additional 184,660 shares during the last quarter. 92.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Neurocrine Biosciences Stock Performance

Shares of Neurocrine Biosciences stock traded up $2.90 on Monday, reaching $138.89. 681,740 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 845,887. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $136.63 and its 200-day moving average is $128.04. The firm has a market cap of $13.82 billion, a PE ratio of 56.19 and a beta of 0.25. Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. has a one year low of $89.04 and a one year high of $148.37.

Neurocrine Biosciences (NASDAQ:NBIX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $1.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.31. Neurocrine Biosciences had a return on equity of 12.85% and a net margin of 13.23%. The firm had revenue of $515.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $518.52 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.88 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 25.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. will post 4.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Neurocrine Biosciences

In related news, insider Ingrid Delaet sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.06, for a total transaction of $725,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,507 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,088,965.42. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider Eric Benevich sold 19,818 shares of Neurocrine Biosciences stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.36, for a total transaction of $2,642,928.48. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 40,778 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,438,154.08. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Ingrid Delaet sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.06, for a total value of $725,300.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 7,507 shares in the company, valued at $1,088,965.42. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 186,994 shares of company stock worth $25,806,409 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on NBIX. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Neurocrine Biosciences in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Neurocrine Biosciences from $116.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. StockNews.com raised Neurocrine Biosciences from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $147.00 price objective on shares of Neurocrine Biosciences in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Neurocrine Biosciences in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $142.38.

Neurocrine Biosciences Company Profile

Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc discovers, develops, and markets pharmaceuticals for neurological, neuroendocrine, and neuropsychiatric disorders in the United States and internationally. The company's products include INGREZZA for tardive dyskinesia and chorea associated with Huntington's disease; ALKINDI for adrenal insufficiency; Efmody capsules for classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia; Orilissa tablets for endometriosis; and Oriahnn capsules to treat uterine fibroids.