Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) Trading Up 7.8% After Analyst Upgrade

Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) shares traded up 7.8% during trading on Monday after Wall Street Zen upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a buy rating. The company traded as high as $2.66 and last traded at $2.63. 1,083,002 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 78% from the average session volume of 4,906,418 shares. The stock had previously closed at $2.44.

ESPR has been the topic of several other reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Citizens Jmp upped their price target on Esperion Therapeutics from $4.00 to $5.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on Esperion Therapeutics from $4.00 to $5.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Piper Sandler assumed coverage on Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $9.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $7.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Esperion Therapeutics

In related news, CFO Benjamin Halladay sold 7,337 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.67, for a total transaction of $26,926.79. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 467,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,715,816.75. This represents a 1.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 15,543 shares of company stock valued at $55,709 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Esperion Therapeutics

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of ESPR. R Squared Ltd raised its stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 23.5% in the fourth quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 15,173 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 2,890 shares in the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Esperion Therapeutics by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 38,955 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $144,000 after purchasing an additional 3,614 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Esperion Therapeutics by 49.0% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 11,617 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 3,822 shares in the last quarter. Eaton Financial Holdings Company LLC increased its holdings in Esperion Therapeutics by 9.4% during the 4th quarter. Eaton Financial Holdings Company LLC now owns 46,595 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $172,000 after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Esperion Therapeutics by 18.5% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 28,338 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 4,422 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 47.39% of the company’s stock.

Esperion Therapeutics Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $690.82 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -15.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.11. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $3.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $3.15.

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $168.45 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $165.12 million. Research analysts anticipate that Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. will post -0.29 EPS for the current year.

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.