Renaissance Technologies LLC Has $4.44 Million Stock Position in Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. $ESPR

Renaissance Technologies LLC lowered its position in Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) by 26.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,620,100 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 574,500 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC’s holdings in Esperion Therapeutics were worth $4,439,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors acquired a new position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. Institutional investors own 47.39% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on ESPR shares. Citizens Jmp downgraded shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Needham & Company LLC cut shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered Esperion Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, HC Wainwright downgraded Esperion Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $3.16 price objective for the company. in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $5.54.

Esperion Therapeutics Price Performance

ESPR opened at $3.18 on Friday. Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $1.10 and a fifty-two week high of $4.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $819.45 million, a P/E ratio of -53.00 and a beta of 1.07. The company’s 50-day moving average is $3.16 and its 200 day moving average is $2.97.

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 8th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.10) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.02) by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $80.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $84.52 million. Esperion Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 0.14% and a net margin of 0.12%.

Insider Activity at Esperion Therapeutics

In other Esperion Therapeutics news, insider Benjamin Looker sold 11,824 shares of Esperion Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.15, for a total transaction of $37,245.60. Following the transaction, the insider owned 667,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,102,700.60. This trade represents a 1.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Benjamin Halladay sold 10,773 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.15, for a total value of $33,934.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 702,829 shares in the company, valued at $2,213,911.35. The trade was a 1.51% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.