Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) Insider Benjamin Looker Sells 11,824 Shares

Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) insider Benjamin Looker sold 11,824 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 667,524 shares in the company, valued at $2,102,700.60. This represents a 1.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Esperion Therapeutics Stock Performance

Esperion Therapeutics stock opened at $3.15 on Friday. Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $0.95 and a fifty-two week high of $4.18. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $2.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $3.11. The stock has a market cap of $811.72 million, a P/E ratio of -52.50 and a beta of 1.07.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Esperion Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Esperion Therapeutics by 68.4% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 945,491 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,506,000 after buying an additional 384,095 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP bought a new position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter worth about $6,078,000. AIGH Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Esperion Therapeutics by 33.3% during the 4th quarter. AIGH Capital Management LLC now owns 4,000,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $14,800,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000,000 shares during the period. Integral Health Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Esperion Therapeutics during the third quarter worth about $3,975,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 23.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,945,454 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $55,298,000 after purchasing an additional 2,853,005 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 47.39% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on ESPR. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Citizens Jmp lowered shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. 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 cut Esperion Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, HC Wainwright downgraded Esperion Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $3.16 price objective on the stock. in a report on Friday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Esperion Therapeutics presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $5.54.

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.