Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) Shares Gap Up – What’s Next?

Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) gapped up before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $3.70, but opened at $3.86. Esperion Therapeutics shares last traded at $3.8350, with a volume of 519,721 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and set a $16.00 price objective on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Esperion Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $7.20.

Esperion Therapeutics Trading Up 1.5%

The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $3.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $2.48. The company has a market cap of $897.67 million, a P/E ratio of -7.53 and a beta of 1.04.

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.16) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.09) by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $87.31 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $78.33 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. will post -0.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Esperion Therapeutics news, CFO Benjamin Halladay sold 7,337 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.67, for a total value of $26,926.79. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 467,525 shares in the company, valued at $1,715,816.75. This represents a 1.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Esperion Therapeutics

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Esperion Therapeutics by 68.4% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 945,491 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,506,000 after buying an additional 384,095 shares during the period. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new stake in Esperion Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at approximately $56,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in Esperion Therapeutics by 40,487.0% in the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 31,252 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 31,175 shares during the last quarter. Eaton Financial Holdings Company LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter valued at $113,000. Finally, Voleon Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter worth $551,000. 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.