Catalyst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:CPRX) Stock Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:CPRX) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $21.67 and traded as high as $24.83. Catalyst Pharmaceuticals shares last traded at $23.99, with a volume of 1,492,863 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on CPRX. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 16th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $33.00 price objective on shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Catalyst Pharmaceuticals currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $33.20.

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 1.7%

The stock has a market cap of $2.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 0.72. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $23.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $21.67.

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:CPRX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.18. Catalyst Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 39.24% and a net margin of 37.63%.The company had revenue of $148.39 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $136.79 million. On average, equities analysts predict that Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post 1.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, October 1st that permits the company to buyback $200.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the biopharmaceutical company to repurchase up to 8.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Catalyst Pharmaceuticals

In other Catalyst Pharmaceuticals news, Director Molly Harper sold 26,746 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.25, for a total value of $621,844.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,360 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $54,870. This trade represents a 91.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Carmen Jeffrey Del sold 10,983 shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.33, for a total transaction of $256,233.39. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 3,962 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $92,433.46. This represents a 73.49% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 10.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its stake in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 14.0% during the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 4,061 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 498 shares during the period. Mission Wealth Management LP boosted its holdings in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 5.0% during the second quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 10,620 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $230,000 after buying an additional 510 shares during the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 149,887 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $3,253,000 after buying an additional 577 shares during the period. Amalgamated Bank grew its position in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 32,619 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $708,000 after buying an additional 654 shares during the period. Finally, Huntington National Bank increased its stake in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 105.0% in the 2nd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,433 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 734 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.22% of the company’s stock.

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of therapies for patients living with rare neuromuscular, neurological and metabolic diseases. The company’s mission centers on delivering safe and effective treatments that address unmet medical needs in small patient populations.

The company’s lead product is Firdapse® (amifampridine phosphate), a treatment approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for adults with Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome (LEMS).