Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Here’s What Happened

Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Monday . 11,491,280 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 31% from the previous session’s volume of 8,739,462 shares.The stock last traded at $3.1350 and had previously closed at $3.13.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Needham & Company LLC cut shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. HC Wainwright cut shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $3.16 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Piper Sandler cut shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Esperion Therapeutics has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $5.54.

Esperion Therapeutics Price Performance

The business has a fifty day moving average of $2.62 and a 200-day moving average of $3.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $807.05 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -52.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.91.

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.10) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.02) by ($0.08). Esperion Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 0.14% and a net margin of 0.12%.The company had revenue of $80.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $84.52 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. will post 0.05 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Esperion Therapeutics

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ESPR. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 66.9% during the 1st quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 15,768,897 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $43,207,000 after buying an additional 6,323,138 shares during the last quarter. Orbimed Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Esperion Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $22,072,000. Eversept Partners LP acquired a new stake in Esperion Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $14,249,000. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in Esperion Therapeutics by 303.4% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 3,932,274 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $14,549,000 after purchasing an additional 2,957,418 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in Esperion Therapeutics by 117.0% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 5,471,611 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $20,245,000 after purchasing an additional 2,950,172 shares during the last quarter. 47.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.