Liquidia (NASDAQ:LQDA) Upgraded by Zacks Research to Strong-Buy Rating

Liquidia (NASDAQ:LQDA) was upgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Liquidia from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Liquidia in a research note on Monday, October 20th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $31.00 target price on the stock. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price target on shares of Liquidia from $36.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Liquidia from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, HC Wainwright boosted their target price on Liquidia from $35.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $39.67.

Liquidia Price Performance

LQDA stock opened at $39.99 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 2.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.19. The firm has a market cap of $3.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -27.77, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 0.48. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $32.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $25.68. Liquidia has a 12-month low of $11.26 and a 12-month high of $40.53.

Liquidia (NASDAQ:LQDA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported ($0.04) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.45) by $0.41. Liquidia had a negative return on equity of 296.78% and a negative net margin of 176.04%.The firm had revenue of $54.34 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.86 million. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1106.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Liquidia will post -1.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Liquidia

In related news, CEO Roger Jeffs sold 66,610 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.43, for a total value of $2,493,212.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,037,528 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,834,673.04. This trade represents a 6.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Scott Moomaw sold 20,533 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.43, for a total value of $768,550.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 154,514 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,783,459.02. This represents a 11.73% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 323,354 shares of company stock worth $11,046,731. 26.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Liquidia

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LQDA. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Liquidia by 46.7% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 54,696 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,886,000 after purchasing an additional 17,407 shares in the last quarter. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Liquidia during the 4th quarter worth $4,891,000. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL bought a new stake in Liquidia during the third quarter worth about $1,536,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Liquidia in the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP bought a new position in shares of Liquidia during the 3rd quarter valued at about $389,000. 64.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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).