Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.06 EPS

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.06, FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of $168.45 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $165.12 million.

Esperion Therapeutics Stock Performance

ESPR stock opened at $3.04 on Tuesday. Esperion Therapeutics has a one year low of $0.69 and a one year high of $4.18. The firm has a market cap of $726.74 million, a PE ratio of -6.08, a PEG ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 1.11. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $3.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $3.14.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on ESPR shares. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on shares of Esperion Therapeutics from $4.00 to $5.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered Esperion Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Esperion Therapeutics presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $8.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Benjamin Halladay sold 7,337 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.67, for a total value of $26,926.79. Following the completion of 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders sold 15,543 shares of company stock valued at $55,709 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Esperion Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 3.2% in the 3rd 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. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 33.8% during the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 9,445,759 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $34,949,000 after purchasing an additional 2,383,902 shares during the last quarter. Orbimed Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Esperion Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at about $22,072,000. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Esperion Therapeutics by 32.4% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,930,296 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $21,942,000 after buying an additional 1,451,462 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Esperion Therapeutics by 20.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,737,651 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $21,234,000 after buying an additional 986,255 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 47.39% 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.