Liquidia (NASDAQ:LQDA) Earns Buy Rating from Needham & Company LLC

Liquidia (NASDAQ:LQDA)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reissued by analysts at Needham & Company LLC in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $52.00 target price on the stock. Needham & Company LLC’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 68.89% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on LQDA. Wall Street Zen downgraded Liquidia from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 18th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Liquidia from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. HC Wainwright boosted their target price on Liquidia from $35.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Liquidia in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $47.00 price objective on shares of Liquidia in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $39.67.

Liquidia Stock Up 2.6%

Liquidia stock opened at $30.79 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $37.36 and a 200-day moving average of $30.56. The company has a quick ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 2.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.19. Liquidia has a twelve month low of $11.26 and a twelve month high of $46.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.68 billion, a PE ratio of -21.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.46.

Insider Transactions at Liquidia

In related news, General Counsel Russell Schundler sold 27,289 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.43, for a total value of $1,021,427.27. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 579,394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,686,717.42. This trade represents a 4.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Jason Adair sold 688 shares of Liquidia stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.65, for a total value of $28,655.20. Following the transaction, the insider owned 211,169 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,795,188.85. The trade was a 0.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 216,820 shares of company stock valued at $8,102,685. 26.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Liquidia

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. bought a new position in shares of Liquidia during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Liquidia during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ bought a new position in Liquidia during the third quarter worth $30,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in Liquidia during the third quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Liquidia by 41.9% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,216 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 359 shares during the last quarter. 64.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Liquidia

Liquidia Technologies, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. The company leverages its proprietary PRINT® (Particle Replication In Non-wetting Templates) platform to engineer precisely shaped and sized drug particles, with the goal of improving delivery, efficacy and safety profiles. By controlling particle characteristics at the nanoscale, Liquidia seeks to enhance respiratory and other therapies that depend on targeted delivery.

The company’s lead product candidate, LIQ861, is a dry powder formulation of treprostinil designed for inhalation in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).