Deerfield Management Company L.P. Series C Lowers Stock Position in Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS)

Deerfield Management Company L.P. Series C cut its position in Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS - Free Report) by 81.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,058 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 61,584 shares during the quarter. Deerfield Management Company L.P. Series C's holdings in Emergent BioSolutions were worth $134,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Emergent BioSolutions in the 4th quarter valued at about $110,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Emergent BioSolutions during the fourth quarter worth approximately $127,000. Bayesian Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Emergent BioSolutions in the fourth quarter worth about $372,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in shares of Emergent BioSolutions by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 332,099 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $3,175,000 after acquiring an additional 14,054 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aristeia Capital L.L.C. purchased a new position in shares of Emergent BioSolutions during the fourth quarter worth about $384,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.40% of the company's stock.

Emergent BioSolutions Stock Performance

NYSE EBS remained flat at $5.84 during trading hours on Tuesday. 554,671 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,203,932. The company has a 50 day moving average of $5.14 and a 200-day moving average of $7.87. The company has a market cap of $317.33 million, a PE ratio of -1.42 and a beta of 2.09. Emergent BioSolutions Inc. has a 1 year low of $4.02 and a 1 year high of $15.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a current ratio of 2.88.

Emergent BioSolutions (NYSE:EBS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $222.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $218.50 million. Emergent BioSolutions had a negative return on equity of 9.91% and a negative net margin of 18.55%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Emergent BioSolutions Inc. will post -0.63 EPS for the current year.

Emergent BioSolutions declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Monday, March 31st that allows the company to buyback $50.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the biopharmaceutical company to purchase up to 19% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Neal Franklin Fowler sold 35,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.83, for a total transaction of $204,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 101,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $589,413. This represents a 25.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on EBS shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Emergent BioSolutions from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $15.00 target price on shares of Emergent BioSolutions in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st.

Emergent BioSolutions Profile

Emergent BioSolutions Inc, a life sciences company, provides preparedness and response solutions for accidental, deliberate, and naturally occurring public health threats in the United States. The company offers NARCAN Nasal Spray for the emergency treatment of known or suspected opioid overdose; Vaxchora vaccine for the prevention of cholera; Vivotif vaccine for oral administration for the prevention of typhoid fever; Anthrasil for the treatment of inhalational anthrax; BioThrax, an anthrax vaccine; CYFENDUS for post-exposure prophylaxis of disease following suspected or confirmed exposure to Bacillus anthracis; and Raxibacumab injection for the treatment and prophylaxis of inhalational anthrax.