Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMPH) Receives Average Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts rate Amphastar a "Hold" — eight brokers cover the stock (six holds, two buys) with a 1‑year average target of $29.50, and several firms (Wells Fargo, Needham) recently cut targets to about $30 while Barclays began coverage at "equal weight" $30.
• Company missed recent quarter (EPS $0.73 vs. $0.97 est.; revenue $183.1M vs. $190.5M), shares opened at $18.17 near a 52‑week low of $17.03, and ownership is concentrated (about 65% institutional and ~27.5% insider ownership after an EVP sale).

Shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMPH - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Hold" by the eight brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $29.50.

Several research firms recently commented on AMPH. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research cut Amphastar Pharmaceuticals from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Barclays began coverage on Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $30.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Amphastar Pharmaceuticals from $34.00 to $30.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC decreased their target price on Amphastar Pharmaceuticals from $34.00 to $30.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 27th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Amphastar Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Rong Zhou sold 9,787 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.20, for a total transaction of $256,419.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 138,043 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,616,726.60. This trade represents a 6.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 27.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AMPH. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 41.6% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,237,284 shares of the company's stock worth $33,134,000 after acquiring an additional 363,216 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 382.9% in the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 392,310 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,455,000 after acquiring an additional 311,071 shares in the last quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth about $7,560,000. Algert Global LLC grew its holdings in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 216.1% during the third quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 392,902 shares of the company's stock worth $10,471,000 after purchasing an additional 268,612 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG increased its position in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 367.2% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 312,274 shares of the company's stock worth $8,322,000 after purchasing an additional 245,440 shares in the last quarter. 65.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AMPH opened at $18.17 on Friday. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals has a 52 week low of $17.03 and a 52 week high of $31.26. The company's 50 day moving average is $25.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.27. The company has a current ratio of 4.02, a quick ratio of 2.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The company has a market cap of $824.37 million, a PE ratio of 8.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.93.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.24). The firm had revenue of $183.11 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $190.48 million. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 13.63% and a return on equity of 17.58%. Equities analysts predict that Amphastar Pharmaceuticals will post 3.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Amphastar Pharmaceuticals

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc is a specialty pharmaceutical company headquartered in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Founded in 2004, Amphastar focuses on the development, manufacturing and commercialization of injectable and inhalation products. The company's manufacturing facilities in California produce both generic and proprietary formulations designed to address urgent and chronic medical conditions.

Amphastar's portfolio includes a range of injectable generics such as epinephrine, naloxone and lidocaine, serving hospital, emergency medical and retail pharmacy channels.

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