Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:CPRX) Receives Consensus Rating of “Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:CPRX) have received an average rating of “Buy” from the eight research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $33.20.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on CPRX shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Catalyst Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, November 16th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $33.00 price objective on shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Citigroup boosted 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.

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of CPRX stock opened at $25.06 on Thursday. Catalyst Pharmaceuticals has a fifty-two week low of $19.05 and a fifty-two week high of $26.58. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $23.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $21.83. The stock has a market cap of $3.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.74.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Trading of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 52.8% during the third quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 389,289 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $7,669,000 after acquiring an additional 134,509 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd lifted its position in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 1,216.5% in the 3rd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 165,496 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $3,260,000 after purchasing an additional 152,925 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its stake in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 3,559.0% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 62,971 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,241,000 after purchasing an additional 61,250 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 957.5% in the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 83,690 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,649,000 after purchasing an additional 75,776 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cresset Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 588.1% in the second quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 87,418 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,897,000 after purchasing an additional 74,713 shares during the period. 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).