Liquidia (NASDAQ:LQDA) Price Target Raised to $66.00

Liquidia (NASDAQ:LQDA) had its price target hoisted by equities researchers at Needham & Company LLC from $58.00 to $66.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Needham & Company LLC‘s price target would indicate a potential upside of 28.40% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. BTIG Research increased their target price on Liquidia from $70.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Stephens set a $130.00 target price on Liquidia in a report on Friday, July 24th. Wall Street Zen lowered Liquidia from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Liquidia from $55.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $65.00 price target on Liquidia in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $74.92.

Liquidia Trading Up 7.4%

Liquidia stock opened at $51.40 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.12, a current ratio of 2.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. Liquidia has a 52 week low of $22.31 and a 52 week high of $93.61. The company has a market capitalization of $4.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 0.40. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $49.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $54.53.

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

Insider Activity

In other Liquidia news, Director Stephen Bloch sold 235,477 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.13, for a total value of $6,388,491.01. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Jason Adair sold 73,631 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.09, for a total value of $5,087,165.79. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 174,606 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,063,528.54. This trade represents a 29.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 566,579 shares of company stock valued at $25,746,120. Corporate insiders own 25.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Liquidia

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

More Liquidia News

Here are the key news stories impacting Liquidia this week:

• Positive Sentiment: YUTREPIA generated $222.7 million in third-quarter sales, helping lift total revenue to $225.3 million—up 314.9% year over year and ahead of analysts’ estimates. Adjusted EPS was reported at $0.80, above the $0.77 consensus. Liquidia Q3 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Reports said litigation was resolved, potentially reducing a significant source of uncertainty for the company. Shares reportedly rose following the results and legal update. Liquidia rises after third-quarter results, litigation resolved
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG raised its price target to $87 from $70 and maintained a Buy rating, reflecting a more bullish analyst outlook. BTIG Research ratings
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the adjusted-earnings beat, Liquidia reported a GAAP loss of $2.64 per share, versus expectations for a profit. A $389.7 million charge reportedly masked the strong sales quarter, so investors may focus on its impact and the company’s underlying earnings outlook. A charge masks a booming YUTREPIA quarter

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.