Catalyst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:CPRX) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to "Buy" Rating

Key Points

• Catalyst Pharmaceuticals has been upgraded from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating by analysts at Wall Street Zen.
• The stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" with a consensus target price of $33.20.
• Insider transactions indicate a recent sell-off with key executives reducing their holdings in the company.

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:CPRX - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Sunday.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Cantor Fitzgerald raised Catalyst Pharmaceuticals to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, June 5th. Zacks Research downgraded Catalyst Pharmaceuticals from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $33.20.

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of CPRX stock traded down $0.02 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $20.03. The company had a trading volume of 427,873 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,351,699. Catalyst Pharmaceuticals has a twelve month low of $19.15 and a twelve month high of $26.58. The company has a market capitalization of $2.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.85. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $20.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $22.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Steve Miller sold 115,000 shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.28, for a total transaction of $2,332,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 949,663 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,259,165.64. This trade represents a 10.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard J. Daly sold 22,970 shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.62, for a total value of $473,641.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 226,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,676,492.28. The trade was a 9.20% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 243,970 shares of company stock worth $4,927,241. 10.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CPRX. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Huntington National Bank raised its holdings in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 105.0% during the second quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,433 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 734 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new position in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals during the first quarter valued at about $64,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 26.2% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,791 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $68,000 after buying an additional 579 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA bought a new position in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter valued at about $81,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.22% of the company's stock.

About Catalyst Pharmaceuticals

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.