Brokerages Set Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) PT at $7.20

Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation, five have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $7.20.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Piper Sandler began coverage on Esperion Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $9.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday.

Esperion Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of ESPR opened at $3.34 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $798.46 million, a P/E ratio of -6.68, a P/E/G ratio of 6.41 and a beta of 1.04. Esperion Therapeutics has a 1 year low of $0.69 and a 1 year high of $4.18. The company’s fifty day moving average is $3.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $2.77.

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.16) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.09) by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $87.31 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $78.33 million. Sell-side analysts predict that Esperion Therapeutics will post -0.29 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Benjamin Halladay sold 7,337 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.67, for a total transaction of $26,926.79. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 467,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,715,816.75. The trade was a 1.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In the last three months, insiders have sold 15,543 shares of company stock worth $55,709. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Esperion Therapeutics

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ESPR. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Esperion Therapeutics by 3.2% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,092,449 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $32,045,000 after purchasing an additional 375,620 shares during the last quarter. Two Seas Capital LP boosted its position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 43.6% in the 2nd quarter. Two Seas Capital LP now owns 9,954,975 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $9,800,000 after buying an additional 3,024,104 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in Esperion Therapeutics by 46.2% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 5,312,252 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $5,206,000 after acquiring an additional 1,679,294 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Esperion Therapeutics by 3.1% during the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Finally, AIGH Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Esperion Therapeutics during the third quarter worth about $7,950,000. 47.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.