Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) Upgraded to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Saturday morning.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $9.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. One 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 issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Esperion Therapeutics presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $7.20.

Esperion Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of ESPR stock opened at $3.39 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $3.64 and a 200 day moving average of $2.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $810.41 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.25 and a beta of 1.04. Esperion Therapeutics has a 1 year low of $0.69 and a 1 year high of $4.18.

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) last announced 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 firm had revenue of $87.31 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $78.33 million. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Esperion Therapeutics will post -0.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Esperion Therapeutics news, CFO Benjamin Halladay sold 7,337 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 467,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,715,816.75. This trade represents a 1.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 15,543 shares of company stock worth $55,709 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ESPR. Two Seas Capital LP increased its stake in Esperion Therapeutics by 43.6% during the 2nd quarter. Two Seas Capital LP now owns 9,954,975 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $9,800,000 after buying an additional 3,024,104 shares in the last quarter. AIGH Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics in the third quarter worth approximately $7,950,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 23.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,945,454 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $55,298,000 after purchasing an additional 2,853,005 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP acquired a new position in Esperion Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter valued at $6,078,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in Esperion Therapeutics by 46.2% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 5,312,252 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $5,206,000 after purchasing an additional 1,679,294 shares in the last quarter. 47.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.