Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Reduces Position in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMPH)

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System trimmed its holdings in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMPH) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 13,581 shares of the company’s stock after selling 455 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals were worth $840,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Shaker Investments LLC OH lifted its position in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 136.0% during the fourth quarter. Shaker Investments LLC OH now owns 49,078 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,035,000 after buying an additional 28,283 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 44.8% in the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 554,850 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,518,000 after acquiring an additional 171,642 shares during the last quarter. Walleye Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth $1,833,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 352,378 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,206,000 after acquiring an additional 24,116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rafferty Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at about $205,000. 65.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Amphastar Pharmaceuticals

In other news, Director Michael A. Zasloff sold 12,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.18, for a total transaction of $589,750.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 21,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,006,160.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 14,000 shares of company stock worth $655,145. Corporate insiders own 27.10% of the company’s stock.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 0.5 %

AMPH opened at $42.43 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 2.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The firm has a market cap of $2.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.85. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $37.41 and a 52 week high of $67.66. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $42.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $50.64.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $178.11 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.90 million. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 21.34% and a return on equity of 26.95%. On average, equities analysts expect that Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post 3.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AMPH has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $60.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $66.00.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a bio-pharmaceutical company, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells generic and proprietary injectable, inhalation, and intranasal products in the United States, China, and France. It offers BAQSIMI, a nasal spray for the treatment of severe hypoglycemia; Primatene Mist, an over-the-counter epinephrine inhalation product for the temporary relief of mild symptoms of intermittent asthma; Enoxaparin, to prevent and treat deep vein thrombosis; REXTOVY and Naloxone for opioid overdose; Glucagon for injection emergency kit; and Cortrosyn, for use as a diagnostic agent in the screening of patients with adrenocortical insufficiency.