Liquidia (NASDAQ:LQDA) Stock Price Expected to Rise, BTIG Research Analyst Says

Liquidia (NASDAQ:LQDA) had its price target hoisted by research analysts at BTIG Research from $70.00 to $87.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. BTIG Research‘s price objective points to a potential upside of 73.81% from the company’s current price.

Several other research analysts have also commented on LQDA. Lifesci Capital raised Liquidia from a “hold” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $59.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Stephens set a $130.00 target price on Liquidia in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Liquidia in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Needham & Company LLC decreased their target price on Liquidia from $72.00 to $58.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Liquidia to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $74.15.

Liquidia Stock Up 4.6%

LQDA traded up $2.18 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $50.05. 1,220,963 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,284,189. The firm has a market cap of $4.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 0.40. Liquidia has a 12-month low of $22.31 and a 12-month high of $93.61. The company has a current ratio of 2.31, a quick ratio of 2.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $49.99 and a 200 day moving average of $54.47.

Liquidia (NASDAQ:LQDA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 10th. The company reported ($2.64) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.96 by ($3.60). The company had revenue of $225.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $214.18 million. Liquidia had a net margin of 30.74% and a return on equity of 149.65%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 314.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($0.04) EPS. Analysts predict that Liquidia will post 2.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Dana Boyle sold 1,581 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.19, for a total value of $68,283.39. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 164,028 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,084,369.32. The trade was a 0.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, General Counsel Russell Schundler sold 13,692 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.48, for a total transaction of $389,948.16. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 602,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,168,911.68. This represents a 2.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold a total of 566,579 shares of company stock worth $25,746,120 over the last three months. 25.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Liquidia

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Liquidia by 26.2% during the third quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 1,557 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 323 shares during the period. Globeflex Capital L P acquired a new position in shares of Liquidia in the 2nd quarter valued at about $175,000. Nykredit A S bought a new stake in shares of Liquidia during the 2nd quarter valued at about $177,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Liquidia by 839.1% during the 3rd quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 2,329 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 2,081 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Liquidia by 13.8% during the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,634 shares of the company’s stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 320 shares during the last quarter. 64.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Liquidia

Liquidia Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing treatments for pulmonary hypertension and other serious diseases. Its work includes inhaled therapies designed to deliver medicines to the lungs. The company’s marketed product, Yutrepia (treprostinil) inhalation powder, is approved in the United States for adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension and pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease. Liquidia also has a pipeline of investigational therapies, including other formulations of treprostinil.