Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) Raised to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

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

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on ESPR. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $9.00 price objective on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Esperion Therapeutics presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $7.20.

Esperion Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of Esperion Therapeutics stock opened at $3.39 on Friday. Esperion Therapeutics has a one year low of $0.69 and a one year high of $4.18. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $3.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $2.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $810.41 million, a P/E ratio of -6.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.25 and a beta of 1.04.

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.16) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.09) by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $87.31 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $78.33 million. Sell-side analysts expect that Esperion Therapeutics will post -0.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Esperion Therapeutics news, CFO Benjamin Halladay sold 7,337 shares of the business’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 value of $26,926.79. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 467,525 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,715,816.75. The trade was a 1.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 15,543 shares of company stock worth $55,709 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ESPR. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 6,380 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Esperion Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC purchased a new position in Esperion Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Esperion Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Finally, KFG Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth $37,000. 47.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.