Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) Stock Price Down 5.1% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) fell 5.1% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $2.84 and last traded at $2.8850. 4,138,320 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 12% from the average session volume of 4,720,178 shares. The stock had previously closed at $3.04.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler assumed coverage on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $9.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Esperion Therapeutics presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $8.25.

Esperion Therapeutics Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $659.33 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 1.11. The business has a 50 day moving average of $3.37 and a 200 day moving average of $3.14.

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $168.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $165.12 million. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. will post -0.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Benjamin Halladay sold 7,337 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 467,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,715,816.75. This represents a 1.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 15,543 shares of company stock valued at $55,709 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Esperion Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESPR. R Squared Ltd grew its stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 23.5% in the 4th quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 15,173 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 2,890 shares during the period. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Esperion Therapeutics by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 38,955 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $144,000 after buying an additional 3,614 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Esperion Therapeutics by 49.0% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 11,617 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 3,822 shares in the last quarter. Eaton Financial Holdings Company LLC grew its position in Esperion Therapeutics by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. Eaton Financial Holdings Company LLC now owns 46,595 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $172,000 after acquiring an additional 4,000 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Esperion Therapeutics by 18.5% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 28,338 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $105,000 after acquiring an additional 4,422 shares in the last quarter. 47.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.