Wasatch Advisors LP Has $6.10 Million Stock Position in Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. $ESPR

Wasatch Advisors LP lowered its position in Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) by 87.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,930,185 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 13,838,712 shares during the quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP owned approximately 0.75% of Esperion Therapeutics worth $6,099,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. AIGH Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Esperion Therapeutics by 33.3% in the 4th quarter. AIGH Capital Management LLC now owns 4,000,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $14,800,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000,000 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Esperion Therapeutics by 23.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,945,454 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $55,298,000 after purchasing an additional 2,853,005 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP raised its stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 57.0% in the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 3,601,523 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $13,326,000 after purchasing an additional 1,308,035 shares during the last quarter. Two Seas Capital LP raised its stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 22.1% in the fourth quarter. Two Seas Capital LP now owns 11,902,521 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $44,039,000 after purchasing an additional 2,152,797 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 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 valued at $28,963,000 after purchasing an additional 4,604,802 shares in the last quarter. 47.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on ESPR. Citizens Jmp cut Esperion Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Needham & Company LLC lowered Esperion Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Jefferies Financial Group cut Esperion Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $5.54.

Esperion Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ESPR opened at $3.18 on Thursday. Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. has a twelve month low of $1.10 and a twelve month high of $4.18. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $3.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $2.98. The company has a market capitalization of $819.45 million, a PE ratio of -53.00 and a beta of 1.07.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Esperion Therapeutics news, 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 value of $33,934.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 702,829 shares in the company, valued at $2,213,911.35. This represents a 1.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Benjamin Looker sold 11,824 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.15, for a total value of $37,245.60. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 667,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,102,700.60. This represents a 1.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.