Short Interest in Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) Drops By 44.5%

Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totaling 20,207,976 shares, a decrease of 44.5% from the April 30th total of 36,425,941 shares. Currently, 8.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 31,841,027 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.6 days.

Esperion Therapeutics Trading Down 0.2%

NASDAQ:ESPR traded down $0.01 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $3.14. 1,325,602 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,957,409. The firm has a market capitalization of $807.04 million, a P/E ratio of -52.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.07. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $2.65 and its 200-day moving average is $3.13. Esperion Therapeutics has a 12-month low of $0.95 and a 12-month high of $4.18.

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 8th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.10) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by ($0.08). Esperion Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 0.14% and a net margin of 0.12%.The firm had revenue of $80.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $84.52 million. On average, research analysts expect that Esperion Therapeutics will post 0.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ESPR has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. Needham & Company LLC lowered shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Citizens Jmp cut shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Esperion Therapeutics currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $5.54.

Institutional Trading of Esperion Therapeutics

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 66.9% during the first quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 15,768,897 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $43,207,000 after buying an additional 6,323,138 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Esperion Therapeutics by 23.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,945,454 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $55,298,000 after acquiring an additional 2,853,005 shares during the period. Two Seas Capital LP grew its position in Esperion Therapeutics by 22.1% in the 4th quarter. Two Seas Capital LP now owns 11,902,521 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $44,039,000 after acquiring an additional 2,152,797 shares during the last quarter. Orbimed Advisors LLC grew its position in Esperion Therapeutics by 77.2% in the 1st quarter. Orbimed Advisors LLC now owns 10,570,300 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $28,963,000 after acquiring an additional 4,604,802 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp increased its stake in Esperion Therapeutics by 32.4% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,930,296 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $21,942,000 after purchasing an additional 1,451,462 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.