Cerus Co. (NASDAQ:CERS – Get Rating) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 7,050,000 shares, an increase of 20.5% from the August 15th total of 5,850,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,630,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.3 days. Approximately 4.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Richard J. Benjamin sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.12, for a total transaction of $51,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 172,665 shares in the company, valued at approximately $884,044.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 7.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cerus

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in shares of Cerus by 22.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 326,525 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $2,223,000 after buying an additional 59,839 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA increased its stake in shares of Cerus by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA now owns 44,982 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $306,000 after buying an additional 15,003 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its stake in shares of Cerus by 22.7% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 33,292 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $227,000 after buying an additional 6,168 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its stake in shares of Cerus by 485.7% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 642,473 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $4,375,000 after buying an additional 532,773 shares during the period. Finally, MQS Management LLC acquired a new stake in Cerus during the fourth quarter worth approximately $69,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.72% of the company's stock.

Cerus Price Performance

About Cerus

(Get Rating)

Cerus Corporation operates as a biomedical products company. The company focuses on developing and commercializing the INTERCEPT Blood System to enhance blood safety. Its INTERCEPT Blood System, a proprietary technology for controlling biological replication that is designed to reduce blood-borne pathogens in donated blood components intended for transfusion.

Further Reading

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