AIGH Capital Management LLC Buys 400,000 Shares of Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. $ESPR

AIGH Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) by 10.0% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 4,400,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after buying an additional 400,000 shares during the period. Esperion Therapeutics comprises about 1.6% of AIGH Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. AIGH Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Esperion Therapeutics were worth $12,056,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESPR. Jones Financial Companies Lllp acquired a new stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics in the 1st quarter valued at about $278,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 3.1% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,583,988 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $4,513,000 after buying an additional 137,691 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 16.8% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 275,688 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $271,000 after buying an additional 39,658 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 93.3% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 493,929 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $486,000 after buying an additional 238,449 shares in the last quarter. 47.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Esperion Therapeutics Stock Up 0.9%

ESPR stock opened at $3.19 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $822.03 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -53.17 and a beta of 1.07. Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. has a twelve month low of $1.10 and a twelve month high of $4.18. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $3.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $3.05.

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). The company had revenue of $80.10 million for 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%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on ESPR shares. HC Wainwright cut Esperion Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $3.16 target price on the stock. in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $5.54.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Benjamin Looker sold 11,824 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.15, for a total transaction of $37,245.60. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 667,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,102,700.60. The trade was a 1.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Benjamin Halladay sold 10,773 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.15, for a total transaction of $33,934.95. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 702,829 shares in the company, valued at $2,213,911.35. This trade represents a 1.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.