Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) Stock Crosses Above 50-Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) shares crossed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $2.59 and traded as high as $3.13. Esperion Therapeutics shares last traded at $3.12, with a volume of 6,795,157 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on ESPR. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. HC Wainwright lowered shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $3.16 price target for the company. in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Citizens Jmp lowered shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Esperion Therapeutics presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $5.54.

Esperion Therapeutics Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $803.18 million, a PE ratio of -52.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.91. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $2.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $3.11.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Esperion Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. ADAR1 Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics in the first quarter worth about $59,000. Excelsior Advisor Network LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics in the first quarter worth about $123,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 1,621.1% in the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 580,705 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,591,000 after buying an additional 546,964 shares in the last quarter. Orbimed Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 77.2% in the first quarter. Orbimed Advisors LLC now owns 10,570,300 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $28,963,000 after buying an additional 4,604,802 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics in the first quarter worth about $1,428,000. 47.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Esperion Therapeutics

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.