Catalyst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:CPRX) Cut to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:CPRX - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Zacks Research raised Catalyst Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Stephens set a $32.00 target price on Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup lowered Catalyst Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $35.00 to $31.50 in a research report on Friday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded Catalyst Pharmaceuticals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $32.17.

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

CPRX stock opened at $31.15 on Friday. Catalyst Pharmaceuticals has a one year low of $19.05 and a one year high of $32.56. The firm has a market cap of $3.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.43, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.72. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $25.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $23.93.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Catalyst Pharmaceuticals

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Deerfield Management Company L.P. raised its stake in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 72.8% in the 3rd quarter. Deerfield Management Company L.P. now owns 4,974,767 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $98,003,000 after acquiring an additional 2,095,291 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 200.6% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,719,767 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $40,124,000 after purchasing an additional 1,147,565 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its stake in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 59.1% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,933,399 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $68,466,000 after purchasing an additional 1,089,775 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 43.8% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,528,186 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $49,805,000 after purchasing an additional 770,198 shares during the period. Finally, Fundsmith LLP increased its holdings in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 24.2% in the third quarter. Fundsmith LLP now owns 3,363,807 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $66,267,000 after purchasing an additional 654,721 shares during the period. 79.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Catalyst Pharmaceuticals

Here are the key news stories impacting Catalyst Pharmaceuticals this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Angelini Pharma agreed to acquire Catalyst Pharmaceuticals for about $4.1 billion, or $31.50 per share in cash, which is above where the stock had been trading and typically supports a takeover premium. Closing is expected in the third quarter of 2026. Italy's Angelini Pharma to buy Catalyst Pharmaceuticals for $4.1 billion
• Positive Sentiment: Catalyst also announced a settlement of its FIRDAPSE patent litigation with Hetero Labs, pushing any potential generic competition to January 2035 and resolving all pending FIRDAPSE patent disputes. That reduces legal overhang for the business. Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Announces Settlement of FIRDAPSE Patent Litigation with Hetero Labs Ltd.
• Neutral Sentiment: The company canceled its first-quarter 2026 conference call and webcast, which may have drawn attention but does not appear to be a major fundamental development on its own. Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Cancels First Quarter 2026 Conference Call and Webcast
• Negative Sentiment: Stephens downgraded Catalyst to Equal Weight from Overweight, which can weigh on sentiment even though the downgrade may be overshadowed by the acquisition bid. Stephens & Co. downgrades Catalyst Pharmaceuticals (CPRX)
• Negative Sentiment: Law firms announced shareholder investigations into whether Catalyst is receiving a fair price in the Angelini transaction, creating a small litigation-related overhang. Shareholder Alert: Ademi LLP investigates whether Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Inc. is obtaining a Fair Price for Public Shareholders

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of therapies for patients living with rare neuromuscular, neurological and metabolic diseases. The company's mission centers on delivering safe and effective treatments that address unmet medical needs in small patient populations.

The company's lead product is Firdapse® (amifampridine phosphate), a treatment approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for adults with Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome (LEMS).

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