Emergent Biosolutions Inc. (EBS) – What Are Investment Firms Thinking About This Stock?

Emergent Biosolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the six analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $10.00.

Several research firms have commented on EBS. Zacks Research raised shares of Emergent Biosolutions to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Emergent Biosolutions from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $10.00 price target on shares of Emergent Biosolutions in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Emergent Biosolutions in a report on Friday, August 21st. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock.

Insider Transactions at Emergent Biosolutions

In other news, Director Donald Degolyer sold 17,800 shares of Emergent Biosolutions stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.09, for a total transaction of $126,202.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 111,921 shares in the company, valued at $793,519.89. This trade represents a 13.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 6.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Emergent Biosolutions

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Emergent Biosolutions during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Emergent Biosolutions in the second quarter valued at $36,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of Emergent Biosolutions during the second quarter valued at about $44,000. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in Emergent Biosolutions in the 2nd quarter valued at $93,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new stake in Emergent Biosolutions during the second quarter valued at $115,000. 78.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Emergent Biosolutions Stock Performance

Shares of EBS stock opened at $7.03 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $360.19 million, a PE ratio of -1.98 and a beta of 2.28. Emergent Biosolutions has a one year low of $4.36 and a one year high of $14.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 5.42 and a quick ratio of 2.95. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $6.08 and a 200-day moving average of $7.45.

Emergent Biosolutions (NYSE:EBS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.08) by $0.68. Emergent Biosolutions had a positive return on equity of 16.35% and a negative net margin of 22.95%. The business had revenue of $234.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $177.50 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Emergent Biosolutions will post 0.13 earnings per share for the current year.

About Emergent Biosolutions

Emergent BioSolutions Inc (NYSE:EBS) is a life sciences company focused on developing, manufacturing and supplying medical countermeasures for public health threats, including chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear hazards, as well as infectious diseases. The company serves government agencies, healthcare providers and commercial customers.

Emergent’s portfolio has included vaccines, therapeutics and other products used to prevent or treat serious health threats. Its offerings include BioThrax, an anthrax vaccine, and ACAM2000, a smallpox vaccine, along with products such as botulism antitoxin and vaccinia immune globulin.