Pacer Advisors Inc. Reduces Position in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $CPRX

Pacer Advisors Inc. decreased its position in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:CPRX) by 8.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 361,794 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 31,939 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. owned approximately 0.30% of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals worth $8,958,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 17.6% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 3,138 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 469 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 26,428 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $617,000 after purchasing an additional 472 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 4.7% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 10,554 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $261,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares during the period. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. now owns 16,835 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $393,000 after buying an additional 553 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 55.6% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,764 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 630 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.22% of the company’s stock.

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of CPRX stock opened at $31.49 on Wednesday. Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $19.05 and a twelve month high of $32.56. The stock has a market cap of $3.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.10, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.74. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $31.42 and a 200 day moving average of $27.76.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer lowered shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Citigroup lowered shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $35.00 to $31.50 in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.00.

About Catalyst Pharmaceuticals

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of therapies for patients living with rare neuromuscular, neurological and metabolic diseases. The company’s mission centers on delivering safe and effective treatments that address unmet medical needs in small patient populations.

The company’s lead product is Firdapse® (amifampridine phosphate), a treatment approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for adults with Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome (LEMS).