Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Buys New Shares in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMPH)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMPH) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm bought 18,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,157,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 821.5% in the third quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,198 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 1,068 shares during the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 99.2% during the third quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,261 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 628 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd raised its position in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 859.0% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,966 shares of the company’s stock valued at $90,000 after purchasing an additional 1,761 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 115.0% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,430 shares of the company’s stock valued at $150,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares during the period. 65.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of AMPH stock opened at $40.91 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $45.36 and a 200 day moving average of $51.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.85. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $35.62 and a 1 year high of $67.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 2.17 and a quick ratio of 1.70.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.84 by ($0.03). Amphastar Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 21.34% and a return on equity of 26.95%. The business had revenue of $178.11 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.90 million. As a group, research analysts expect that Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post 3.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Amphastar Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $60.00 target price on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $66.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Michael A. Zasloff sold 12,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.18, for a total transaction of $589,750.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 21,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,006,160.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, Director Michael A. Zasloff sold 12,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.18, for a total value of $589,750.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 21,326 shares in the company, valued at $1,006,160.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Floyd F. Petersen sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.10, for a total value of $26,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 80,333 shares in the company, valued at $4,265,682.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 14,000 shares of company stock worth $660,860. Insiders own 27.10% of the company’s stock.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a bio-pharmaceutical company, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells generic and proprietary injectable, inhalation, and intranasal products in the United States, China, and France. It offers BAQSIMI, a nasal spray for the treatment of severe hypoglycemia; Primatene Mist, an over-the-counter epinephrine inhalation product for the temporary relief of mild symptoms of intermittent asthma; Enoxaparin, to prevent and treat deep vein thrombosis; REXTOVY and Naloxone for opioid overdose; Glucagon for injection emergency kit; and Cortrosyn, for use as a diagnostic agent in the screening of patients with adrenocortical insufficiency.