Citizens Jmp Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) Stock

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) had its price objective hoisted by analysts at Citizens Jmp from $4.00 to $5.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “market outperform” rating on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock. Citizens Jmp’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 101.21% from the company’s previous close.

ESPR has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on Esperion Therapeutics from $4.00 to $5.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Piper Sandler began coverage on Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $9.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Esperion Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $7.60.

Esperion Therapeutics Stock Up 0.6%

Esperion Therapeutics stock traded up $0.02 during trading on Friday, reaching $2.49. The stock had a trading volume of 1,175,303 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,891,593. Esperion Therapeutics has a 52-week low of $0.69 and a 52-week high of $4.18. The stock has a market cap of $594.06 million, a PE ratio of -14.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.11. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $3.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $3.14.

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $168.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $165.12 million. On average, equities analysts predict that Esperion Therapeutics will post -0.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Benjamin Halladay sold 7,337 shares of Esperion Therapeutics 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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 467,525 shares in the company, valued at $1,715,816.75. This trade represents a 1.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,543 shares of company stock worth $55,709. 1.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Esperion Therapeutics

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings 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 during the last quarter. Two Seas Capital LP increased its position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 22.1% during the fourth quarter. Two Seas Capital LP now owns 11,902,521 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $44,039,000 after purchasing an additional 2,152,797 shares in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 33.8% in the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 9,445,759 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $34,949,000 after purchasing an additional 2,383,902 shares during the last quarter. Orbimed Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at about $22,072,000. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 32.4% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,930,296 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $21,942,000 after purchasing an additional 1,451,462 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 47.39% of the company’s stock.

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.