Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) Sees Large Volume Increase – What’s Next?

Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Monday . Approximately 8,005,833 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 3% from the previous session’s volume of 7,745,387 shares.The stock last traded at $3.1150 and had previously closed at $3.11.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ESPR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on shares of Esperion Therapeutics from $4.00 to $5.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Citizens Jmp lifted their price objective on shares of Esperion Therapeutics from $4.00 to $5.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Finally, HC Wainwright lowered shares of 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $5.54.

Esperion Therapeutics Stock Up 0.2%

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $2.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is $3.08. The company has a market capitalization of $801.80 million, a PE ratio of -18.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.91.

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.23 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $168.45 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $165.12 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. will post 0.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Esperion Therapeutics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 160.1% during the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 48,141 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $132,000 after purchasing an additional 29,631 shares during the last quarter. AIGH Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 10.0% during the first quarter. AIGH Capital Management LLC now owns 4,400,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $12,056,000 after purchasing an additional 400,000 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 66.9% during the first quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 15,768,897 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $43,207,000 after purchasing an additional 6,323,138 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 151.0% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 127,983 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $351,000 after purchasing an additional 76,986 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 17.6% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 36,744 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $136,000 after purchasing an additional 5,492 shares during the last quarter. 47.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Esperion Therapeutics

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.