Insider Selling: Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) CFO Sells $17,409.04 in Stock

Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) CFO Benjamin Halladay sold 6,424 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.71, for a total transaction of $17,409.04. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 713,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,933,861.42. The trade was a 0.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Esperion Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of ESPR opened at $2.55 on Friday. Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. has a 52 week low of $0.69 and a 52 week high of $4.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $654.35 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -14.99, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.11. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $3.15 and a 200-day moving average of $3.15.

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $168.45 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $165.12 million. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. will post -0.29 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Esperion Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ESPR. AIGH Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Esperion Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at approximately $7,950,000. Two Seas Capital LP raised its holdings in Esperion Therapeutics by 43.6% during the 2nd quarter. Two Seas Capital LP now owns 9,954,975 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $9,800,000 after purchasing an additional 3,024,104 shares during the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP bought a new position in Esperion Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $6,078,000. Integral Health Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,975,000. Finally, Diametric Capital LP boosted its stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 57.8% in the 2nd quarter. Diametric Capital LP now owns 678,824 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $668,000 after purchasing an additional 248,648 shares during the last quarter. 47.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ESPR has been the subject of several recent research reports. Piper Sandler started coverage on Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $9.00 price objective for the company. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on shares of Esperion Therapeutics from $4.00 to $5.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Citizens Jmp upped their price target on shares of Esperion Therapeutics from $4.00 to $5.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Esperion Therapeutics currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $7.60.

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.