Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH) Shares Gap Down Following Analyst Downgrade

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMPH)’s share price gapped down before the market opened on Friday after Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on the stock from $34.00 to $30.00. The stock had previously closed at $26.49, but opened at $22.44. Needham & Company LLC currently has a buy rating on the stock. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals shares last traded at $22.70, with a volume of 410,863 shares traded.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on AMPH. Barclays started coverage on Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $30.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Amphastar Pharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $30.33.

Insider Activity at Amphastar Pharmaceuticals

In other Amphastar Pharmaceuticals news, Director Floyd F. Petersen sold 2,426 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.92, for a total transaction of $62,881.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 71,368 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,849,858.56. This trade represents a 3.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Rong Zhou sold 9,787 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.20, for a total transaction of $256,419.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 138,043 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,616,726.60. This trade represents a 6.62% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 13,950 shares of company stock worth $363,925. Insiders own 27.50% of the company’s stock.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Amphastar Pharmaceuticals this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management outlined mid- to high-single-digit revenue growth for 2026 and announced a new respiratory product launch, which supports medium-term top-line expansion and product diversification. Amphastar outlines mid- to high-single-digit revenue growth for 2026 while launching new respiratory product
• Positive Sentiment: Needham lowered its price target from $34 to $30 but kept a “buy” rating, implying continued analyst confidence in upside despite trimming expectations. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Full-year 2025 results showed net revenues of $719.9M and adjusted non-GAAP income of $3.25 per share, providing context that the business remains profitable even as quarterly performance softens. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Reports Financial Results for the Three Months and Full Year Ended December 31, 2025
• Neutral Sentiment: Detailed Q4 earnings call transcript and analyst write-ups are available for investors who want to dig into product-by-product trends and management commentary on the pipeline. These sources help assess whether the miss is cyclical or structural. Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reports posted odd/zero values in recent summaries, which appear to be data anomalies and are unlikely to be a meaningful near-term driver. MarketBeat AMPH
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 2025 results missed expectations: adjusted EPS of $0.73 missed consensus (~$0.97) and revenues were below estimates; the earnings miss triggered a sharp intraday decline in the stock. Amphastar Misses Q4 Revenue; Stock Drops

Institutional Trading of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AMPH. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 82.0% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 53,638 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,555,000 after buying an additional 24,167 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 2.8% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 22,489 shares of the company’s stock valued at $652,000 after buying an additional 613 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 43.0% in the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 60,289 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,748,000 after acquiring an additional 18,133 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 574.0% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,502 shares of the company’s stock valued at $103,000 after buying an additional 3,834 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter valued at approximately $407,000. 65.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.04, a PEG ratio of 5.10 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a current ratio of 3.12, a quick ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $27.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $27.06.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc is a specialty pharmaceutical company headquartered in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Founded in 2004, Amphastar focuses on the development, manufacturing and commercialization of injectable and inhalation products. The company’s manufacturing facilities in California produce both generic and proprietary formulations designed to address urgent and chronic medical conditions.

Amphastar’s portfolio includes a range of injectable generics such as epinephrine, naloxone and lidocaine, serving hospital, emergency medical and retail pharmacy channels.