Wasatch Advisors LP Increases Position in Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. $ESPR

Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) by 66.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,768,897 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,323,138 shares during the quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP owned 0.06% of Esperion Therapeutics worth $43,207,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in Esperion Therapeutics by 151.0% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 127,983 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $351,000 after purchasing an additional 76,986 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth $70,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 17.6% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 36,744 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $136,000 after purchasing an additional 5,492 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 23.5% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 765,118 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,831,000 after buying an additional 145,351 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 23.5% in the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 336,992 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,241,000 after buying an additional 64,034 shares during the last quarter. 47.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Citizens Jmp cut shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC cut shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $5.54.

Esperion Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of ESPR opened at $3.17 on Friday. Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $0.95 and a fifty-two week high of $4.18. The business has a 50-day moving average of $2.88 and a 200 day moving average of $3.09. The firm has a market cap of $816.88 million, a P/E ratio of -52.83 and a beta of 1.07.

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) last released 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). The business had revenue of $80.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $84.52 million. Esperion Therapeutics had a net margin of 0.12% and a negative return on equity of 0.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Esperion Therapeutics news, CFO Benjamin Halladay sold 10,773 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.15, for a total transaction of $33,934.95. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 702,829 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,213,911.35. The trade was a 1.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Benjamin Looker sold 11,824 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider owned 667,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,102,700.60. This represents a 1.74% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 1.60% 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.