Ruffer LLP Makes New Investment in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $CPRX

Ruffer LLP bought a new position in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:CPRX) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 108,616 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,140,000. Ruffer LLP owned approximately 0.09% of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 105.0% in the second quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,433 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 734 shares in the last quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA bought a new position in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $81,000. Vinva Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter valued at approximately $206,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter valued at approximately $208,000. Finally, Trust Co. of Oklahoma acquired a new stake in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at approximately $216,000. 79.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on CPRX shares. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings restated 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 research report on Sunday, November 16th. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $33.00 price target on shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, November 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Catalyst Pharmaceuticals currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $33.20.

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of CPRX stock opened at $24.20 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $23.40 and a 200-day moving average of $21.70. The company has a market cap of $2.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.72. Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $19.05 and a 52 week high of $26.58.

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:CPRX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $148.39 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $136.79 million. Catalyst Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 37.63% and a return on equity of 39.24%. Analysts anticipate that Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post 1.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, October 1st that allows the company to buyback $200.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the biopharmaceutical company to reacquire up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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).