521,081 Shares in Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. $ESPR Purchased by Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 521,081 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,428,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ESPR. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Esperion Therapeutics during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. KFG Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 47.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on ESPR shares. Needham & Company LLC downgraded shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Citizens Jmp cut shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered Esperion Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Piper Sandler cut Esperion Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $5.54.

Esperion Therapeutics Stock Performance

Esperion Therapeutics stock opened at $3.18 on Monday. Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $1.10 and a fifty-two week high of $4.18. The company has a market capitalization of $819.45 million, a P/E ratio of -53.00 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $3.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $2.97.

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) last announced its earnings results 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 analyst estimates of $84.52 million. Esperion Therapeutics had a net margin of 0.12% and a negative return on equity of 0.14%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Esperion Therapeutics 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.