Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) Price Target Raised to $5.00

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) had its price target hoisted by research analysts at Citizens Jmp from $4.00 to $5.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “market outperform” rating on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock. Citizens Jmp’s price target points to a potential upside of 101.21% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on ESPR. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on shares of Esperion Therapeutics from $4.00 to $5.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Piper Sandler began coverage on Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $9.00 price target on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered Esperion Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $7.60.

Esperion Therapeutics Trading Up 0.6%

NASDAQ ESPR traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $2.49. The company had a trading volume of 1,175,303 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,891,593. The stock has a market capitalization of $594.06 million, a P/E ratio of -14.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.11. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $3.30 and a 200 day moving average of $3.14. Esperion Therapeutics has a 1-year low of $0.69 and a 1-year high of $4.18.

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $168.45 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $165.12 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Esperion Therapeutics will post -0.29 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Esperion Therapeutics

In other Esperion Therapeutics news, CFO Benjamin Halladay sold 7,337 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.67, for a total transaction of $26,926.79. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 467,525 shares in the company, valued at $1,715,816.75. This represents a 1.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,543 shares of company stock worth $55,709. 1.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Esperion Therapeutics

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ESPR. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 209.2% in the third quarter. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. now owns 9,430 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 6,380 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Esperion Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC purchased a new stake in Esperion Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Esperion Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Esperion Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 47.39% of the company’s stock.

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.