Analysts Set Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) Target Price at $5.54

Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eight brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $5.54.

A number of research firms have recently commented on ESPR. Needham & Company LLC lowered Esperion Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. HC Wainwright lowered Esperion Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $3.16 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Esperion Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered Esperion Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Esperion Therapeutics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Esperion Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC bought a new position in Esperion Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at about $29,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Esperion Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Esperion Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, KFG Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Esperion Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. 47.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Esperion Therapeutics Stock Performance

Esperion Therapeutics stock opened at $3.14 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $2.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $3.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $808.33 million, a PE ratio of -52.33, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.07. Esperion Therapeutics has a 52 week low of $0.91 and a 52 week high of $4.18.

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 8th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.10) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.02) by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $80.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $84.52 million. Esperion Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 0.14% and a net margin of 0.12%. Research analysts forecast that Esperion Therapeutics will post 0.05 earnings per share for the current year.

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.