Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:CPRX) Shares Sold by Marshall Wace LLP

Marshall Wace LLP decreased its position in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:CPRX - Free Report) by 70.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 253,637 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 607,297 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP owned approximately 0.21% of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals worth $5,293,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 125.1% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,690 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 1,495 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $65,000. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 48.8% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,699 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 1,542 shares during the period. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at $134,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.22% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on CPRX shares. Baird R W upgraded shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $30.00 price objective on shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Catalyst Pharmaceuticals from $28.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $33.00 price target on shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $35.00 price objective on shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Catalyst Pharmaceuticals has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $32.29.

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CPRX traded up $0.38 on Tuesday, hitting $24.01. The company's stock had a trading volume of 157,449 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,305,325. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $22.60 and a 200-day moving average of $22.24. Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $14.47 and a 12-month high of $26.16. The company has a market capitalization of $2.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.79.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Brian Elsbernd sold 62,975 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.98, for a total transaction of $1,447,165.50. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 188,564 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,333,200.72. This represents a 25.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Gary Ingenito sold 44,904 shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.09, for a total transaction of $991,929.36. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 68,873 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,521,404.57. The trade was a 39.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 10.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Profile

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing and commercializing therapies for people with rare debilitating, chronic neuromuscular, and neurological diseases in the United States. It offers Firdapse, an amifampridine phosphate tablets for the treatment of patients with lambert-eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS); and Ruzurgi for the treatment of pediatric LEMS patients.