Galapagos (NASDAQ:GLPG) Sees Large Volume Increase – Here’s Why

Galapagos NV (NASDAQ:GLPG) shares saw strong trading volume on Monday . 134,769 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 4% from the previous session’s volume of 140,654 shares.The stock last traded at $28.3350 and had previously closed at $28.00.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on GLPG shares. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Galapagos from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Galapagos from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. UBS Group reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Galapagos in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Galapagos in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Galapagos from a “sell (d)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $36.50.

Galapagos Stock Up 1.7%

The stock has a market cap of $1.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -18.14 and a beta of 0.25. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $30.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.95.

Galapagos (NASDAQ:GLPG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Sunday, February 15th. The biotechnology company reported $13.92 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter. On average, analysts anticipate that Galapagos NV will post -6.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Galapagos

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in GLPG. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Galapagos by 2,490.1% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,416,934 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $49,083,000 after purchasing an additional 1,362,229 shares during the period. UBS Group AG increased its stake in shares of Galapagos by 128.4% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 349,444 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $11,427,000 after purchasing an additional 196,445 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Galapagos by 121.9% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 339,354 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $11,097,000 after purchasing an additional 186,452 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Galapagos by 2,245.7% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 110,783 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $2,783,000 after purchasing an additional 115,946 shares during the period. Finally, Kotler Kevin acquired a new stake in shares of Galapagos in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,943,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 32.46% of the company’s stock.

About Galapagos

Galapagos NV (NASDAQ:GLPG) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company headquartered in Mechelen, Belgium, focused on the discovery and development of novel small-molecule therapies. Established in 1999 through the merger of Tibotec and Progenix, Galapagos has built a research platform targeting chronic inflammatory diseases, fibrosis and oncology. The company’s discovery engine integrates human genetics, translational biology and medicinal chemistry to identify and optimize drug candidates with unique modes of action.

The company’s pipeline encompasses multiple programs across various stages of development.