Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Sells 1,309 Shares of Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:NBIX)

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:NBIX) by 5.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,911 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,309 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in Neurocrine Biosciences were worth $2,854,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its holdings in Neurocrine Biosciences by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 28,100 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,836,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS lifted its holdings in shares of Neurocrine Biosciences by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 22,361 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,052,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Neurocrine Biosciences by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 2,548 shares of the company’s stock worth $348,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the period. Commerce Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Neurocrine Biosciences by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 4,199 shares of the company’s stock worth $484,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its holdings in shares of Neurocrine Biosciences by 99.1% during the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 231 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.59% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on NBIX shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Neurocrine Biosciences from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $160.00 price target on shares of Neurocrine Biosciences in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Neurocrine Biosciences from $154.00 to $148.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Neurocrine Biosciences in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. They set a “hold” rating and a $138.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wedbush lowered their price objective on shares of Neurocrine Biosciences from $157.00 to $147.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $165.24.

Insider Transactions at Neurocrine Biosciences

In other news, insider Ingrid Delaet sold 272 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.10, for a total transaction of $37,563.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 2,507 shares in the company, valued at $346,216.70. This represents a 9.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Kevin Charles Gorman sold 146,105 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.46, for a total transaction of $21,836,853.30. Following the sale, the director now owns 514,596 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $76,911,518.16. This trade represents a 22.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 233,178 shares of company stock worth $33,906,594 over the last three months. 4.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Neurocrine Biosciences Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NBIX opened at $111.92 on Friday. Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. has a 52-week low of $105.18 and a 52-week high of $157.98. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $126.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $125.15. The stock has a market cap of $11.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.35.

Neurocrine Biosciences (NASDAQ:NBIX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.62 by ($0.62). Neurocrine Biosciences had a net margin of 14.49% and a return on equity of 13.38%. Analysts predict that Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. will post 4.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Neurocrine Biosciences declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Friday, February 21st that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 4.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

About Neurocrine Biosciences

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.