Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Buy” Rating

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $9.00 price target for the company. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $16.00 price objective on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $7.20.

Esperion Therapeutics Stock Performance

NASDAQ ESPR opened at $3.71 on Friday. Esperion Therapeutics has a twelve month low of $0.69 and a twelve month high of $4.13. The stock has a market cap of $886.91 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.42, a PEG ratio of 11.33 and a beta of 1.04. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $3.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $2.50.

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.16) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.09) by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $87.31 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $78.33 million. On average, research analysts forecast that Esperion Therapeutics will post -0.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Esperion Therapeutics news, CFO Benjamin Halladay sold 7,337 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.67, for a total transaction of $26,926.79. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 467,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,715,816.75. This represents a 1.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Esperion Therapeutics

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 209.2% during the 3rd quarter. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. now owns 9,430 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 6,380 shares during the period. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC bought a new position in Esperion Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Esperion Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. CWM LLC lifted its position in Esperion Therapeutics by 46.5% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 19,674 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 6,249 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sanders Morris Harris LLC bought a new stake in Esperion Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at about $53,000. Institutional investors own 47.39% of the company’s stock.

Esperion Therapeutics Company Profile

Esperion Therapeutics, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of oral, low–density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)–lowering therapies. The company’s research and development efforts center on small-molecule compounds designed to address atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease by targeting cholesterol biosynthesis pathways. Esperion seeks to provide novel treatment options for patients who require additional LDL-C reduction beyond what is achieved with statins or who are statin-intolerant.

The company’s lead products include NEXLETOL (bempedoic acid), an oral adenosine triphosphate–citrate lyase (ACL) inhibitor approved by the U.S.