Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:CPRX)

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:CPRX - Get Free Report) saw some unusual options trading on Friday. Investors bought 3,332 put options on the company. This represents an increase of 1,090% compared to the typical volume of 280 put options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on CPRX. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $33.00 target price on shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals from $28.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $32.83.

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ CPRX traded down $0.16 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $22.65. 263,682 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,131,919. The company's 50 day moving average price is $23.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $22.89. Catalyst Pharmaceuticals has a 52 week low of $14.75 and a 52 week high of $26.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.76 billion, a PE ratio of 14.44, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.72.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Gary Ingenito sold 200,000 shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.68, for a total value of $4,736,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 68,873 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,630,912.64. The trade was a 74.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Preethi Sundaram sold 1,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.42, for a total transaction of $42,272.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 41,081 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,085,360.02. The trade was a 3.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 247,924 shares of company stock worth $5,879,369. Insiders own 10.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 125.1% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,690 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 1,495 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in the 1st quarter worth $64,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 26.2% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,791 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $68,000 after buying an additional 579 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.

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