Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Buy

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the company. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on Amphastar Pharmaceuticals from $71.00 to $66.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Amphastar Pharmaceuticals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $63.00.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

NASDAQ AMPH opened at $48.74 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $2.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 2.63, a current ratio of 3.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $42.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $43.05. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals has a twelve month low of $36.56 and a twelve month high of $65.92.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.10. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 29.79% and a net margin of 23.36%. The firm had revenue of $182.39 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $171.29 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Amphastar Pharmaceuticals will post 3.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Amphastar Pharmaceuticals

In other Amphastar Pharmaceuticals news, Director Floyd F. Petersen sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.40, for a total transaction of $124,200.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 78,409 shares in the company, valued at $3,246,132.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, EVP Rong Zhou sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.35, for a total value of $193,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 118,388 shares in the company, valued at $5,724,059.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Floyd F. Petersen sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.40, for a total value of $124,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 78,409 shares in the company, valued at $3,246,132.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 37,979 shares of company stock worth $1,656,097 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 27.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Amphastar Pharmaceuticals

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new position in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter worth approximately $55,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its stake in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 27.8% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,026 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 23.9% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,604 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 309 shares in the last quarter. 65.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.