Key Points
- Brian Powl sold 6,414 shares of Kura Oncology on Jan. 27 at an average price of $8.46 for ~$54,262, cutting his holding by 3.38% to 183,275 shares (≈$1.55M post‑trade).
- Cluster of same‑day insider sales (several executives sold on Jan. 27–28) coincided with KURA sliding about 5.1%, a development market watchers say is weighing on investor sentiment.
- Analyst and financial backdrop: Coverage is mixed but the consensus is a “Moderate Buy” with an average $28 price target, while the company remains unprofitable after missing recent EPS expectations.
Kura Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ:KURA - Get Free Report) insider Brian Powl sold 6,414 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.46, for a total value of $54,262.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 183,275 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,550,506.50. The trade was a 3.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.
Kura Oncology Stock Down 5.1%
Shares of NASDAQ KURA opened at $8.04 on Thursday. Kura Oncology, Inc. has a 1 year low of $5.41 and a 1 year high of $12.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 5.12 and a quick ratio of 5.12. The firm has a market cap of $699.64 million, a PE ratio of -3.24 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $10.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $9.05.
Kura Oncology (NASDAQ:KURA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported ($0.85) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.57) by ($0.28). The company had revenue of $20.75 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.48 million. Kura Oncology had a negative net margin of 208.48% and a negative return on equity of 65.42%. On average, research analysts forecast that Kura Oncology, Inc. will post -2.44 EPS for the current year.
Trending Headlines about Kura Oncology
Here are the key news stories impacting Kura Oncology this week:
- Neutral Sentiment: Recent analyst activity is mixed — several firms (JMP, Leerink, HC Wainwright) maintain positive ratings and high price targets while others (Zacks, Weiss) issued negative views. The consensus remains a “Moderate Buy” but with divergent opinions that can sustain volatility for the stock. Analyst Coverage Summary
- Neutral Sentiment: Institutions hold large positions and some have increased stakes (Vanguard, EcoR1, Jacobs Levy, Geode, Qube Research). Significant institutional ownership can cushion price moves, though it also means bigger blocks could trade. Institutional Holdings Detail
- Negative Sentiment: Multiple insider sales reported on Jan. 27–28: SVP Teresa Brophy Bair sold 11,208 shares; Mollie Leoni sold 8,180; Thomas J. Doyle (SVP) sold 7,142; Brian T. Powl sold 6,414; COO Kathleen Ford sold 1,813; and Francis Burrows sold 1,311 — all at about $8.46 per share. The cluster of executive sales (reductions of ~1–4.7% of post-trade holdings for each insider) is weighing on sentiment because coordinated or same‑day sales by multiple insiders often trigger investor concern about near-term outlook or liquidity needs. Insider Trades Report
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
KURA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Kura Oncology in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Citigroup restated a "market outperform" rating on shares of Kura Oncology in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and set a $38.00 target price (up from $36.00) on shares of Kura Oncology in a report on Friday, November 14th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Kura Oncology from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Leerink Partners set a $20.00 target price on Kura Oncology and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $28.00.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on KURA
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kura Oncology
A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KURA. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in Kura Oncology by 6.3% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 50,008 shares of the company's stock valued at $333,000 after purchasing an additional 2,977 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Kura Oncology in the 1st quarter valued at about $143,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Kura Oncology by 169.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 56,912 shares of the company's stock worth $334,000 after purchasing an additional 35,779 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS boosted its stake in shares of Kura Oncology by 179.4% during the second quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 19,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $110,000 after purchasing an additional 12,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its holdings in Kura Oncology by 46.0% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 41,406 shares of the company's stock worth $239,000 after buying an additional 13,053 shares during the period.
Kura Oncology Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
Kura Oncology, Inc (NASDAQ: KURA) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of targeted oncology therapies. Headquartered in La Jolla, California, the company leverages expertise in molecular biology and precision medicine to identify key drivers of cancer growth and design small-molecule inhibitors that block those pathways. Kura's research platform integrates genomic insights with medicinal chemistry to advance candidates against well-validated targets in solid tumors and hematologic malignancies.
The company's lead clinical candidate, tipifarnib, is a farnesyltransferase inhibitor being evaluated for the treatment of HRAS-mutant head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and various non-small cell lung cancers.
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