Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the eight brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $5.54.

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Esperion Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. HC Wainwright lowered shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $3.16 target price on the stock. in a report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Piper Sandler lowered shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald cut shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Benjamin Halladay sold 10,773 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.15, for a total transaction of $33,934.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 702,829 shares in the company, valued at $2,213,911.35. This trade represents a 1.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Benjamin Looker sold 11,824 shares of Esperion Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.15, for a total value of $37,245.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 667,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,102,700.60. This represents a 1.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp bought a new position in Esperion Therapeutics during the first quarter worth $278,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Esperion Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Esperion Therapeutics by 3.1% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,583,988 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $4,513,000 after acquiring an additional 137,691 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in Esperion Therapeutics by 16.8% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 275,688 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $271,000 after acquiring an additional 39,658 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Esperion Therapeutics by 93.3% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 493,929 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $486,000 after acquiring an additional 238,449 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 47.39% of the company’s stock.

Esperion Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of ESPR opened at $3.18 on Thursday. Esperion Therapeutics has a 52 week low of $1.10 and a 52 week high of $4.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $819.45 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -53.00 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $3.15 and a 200-day moving average of $3.03.

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). The firm had revenue of $80.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $84.52 million. Esperion Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 0.14% and a net margin of 0.12%.

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.