Benjamin Looker Sells 6,517 Shares of Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) Stock

Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) General Counsel Benjamin Looker sold 6,517 shares of Esperion Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.67, for a total value of $23,917.39. Following the sale, the general counsel owned 385,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,416,271.35. This trade represents a 1.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Esperion Therapeutics Trading Up 3.4%

NASDAQ ESPR opened at $3.93 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $939.51 million, a PE ratio of -7.86 and a beta of 1.01. Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. has a 12 month low of $0.69 and a 12 month high of $4.13. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $3.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $2.31.

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $87.31 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $78.33 million. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. will post -0.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Esperion Therapeutics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 161.1% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 255,480 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $368,000 after purchasing an additional 157,647 shares during the period. Two Seas Capital LP increased its holdings in Esperion Therapeutics by 43.6% in the second quarter. Two Seas Capital LP now owns 9,954,975 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $9,800,000 after buying an additional 3,024,104 shares in the last quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. raised its position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 153.5% in the first quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 487,735 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $702,000 after acquiring an additional 295,320 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 1,174.2% in the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 127,424 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $125,000 after acquiring an additional 117,424 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics during the 1st quarter worth about $4,446,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 47.39% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on ESPR. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Esperion Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. Finally, HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $16.00 price target on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Friday, September 19th. One equities 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 assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $7.20.

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.