Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on ESPR. Needham & Company LLC lifted 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. Citizens Jmp upped their target price on shares of Esperion Therapeutics from $4.00 to $5.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Piper Sandler began coverage on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $9.00 price target for the company. Finally, HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. One 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Esperion Therapeutics currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $7.60.

Esperion Therapeutics Stock Performance

Esperion Therapeutics stock opened at $2.69 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $3.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $3.15. The company has a market capitalization of $690.82 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -15.82, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.11. Esperion Therapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $0.69 and a fifty-two week high of $4.18.

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $168.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $165.12 million. On average, analysts forecast that Esperion Therapeutics will post -0.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Benjamin Halladay sold 7,337 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.67, for a total transaction of $26,926.79. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 467,525 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,715,816.75. This represents a 1.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 15,543 shares of company stock worth $55,709 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. R Squared Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 23.5% during the 4th quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 15,173 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 2,890 shares during the period. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Esperion Therapeutics by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 38,955 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $144,000 after purchasing an additional 3,614 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Esperion Therapeutics by 49.0% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 11,617 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 3,822 shares during the period. Eaton Financial Holdings Company LLC increased its position in Esperion Therapeutics by 9.4% during the fourth quarter. Eaton Financial Holdings Company LLC now owns 46,595 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $172,000 after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Esperion Therapeutics by 18.5% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 28,338 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 4,422 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 47.39% of the company’s stock.

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.