Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $8.00.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Piper Sandler began coverage on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $9.00 target price on the stock.

Esperion Therapeutics Stock Up 0.9%

ESPR stock opened at $3.43 on Monday. Esperion Therapeutics has a twelve month low of $0.69 and a twelve month high of $4.18. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $3.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $2.98. The firm has a market cap of $819.98 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.86, a PEG ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 1.09.

Insider Transactions at Esperion Therapeutics

In other Esperion Therapeutics news, CFO Benjamin Halladay sold 7,337 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 trade represents a 1.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders have sold 15,543 shares of company stock worth $55,709 in the last ninety days. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Esperion Therapeutics

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Esperion Therapeutics by 23.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,945,454 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $55,298,000 after buying an additional 2,853,005 shares during the last quarter. Two Seas Capital LP raised its holdings in Esperion Therapeutics by 22.1% during the fourth quarter. Two Seas Capital LP now owns 11,902,521 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $44,039,000 after purchasing an additional 2,152,797 shares in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 33.8% during the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 9,445,759 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $34,949,000 after buying an additional 2,383,902 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Esperion Therapeutics by 32.4% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,930,296 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $21,942,000 after acquiring an additional 1,451,462 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Esperion Therapeutics by 20.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,737,651 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $21,234,000 after buying an additional 986,255 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 47.39% of the company’s stock.

About Esperion Therapeutics

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.