Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Moderate Buy consensus from eight analysts (1 sell, 1 hold, 5 buy, 1 strong buy) with an average 1-year price target of $7.60.
• Esperion reported a slight EPS miss of $0.22 vs. $0.23 expected while beating revenue estimates ($168.45M vs. $165.12M); the stock opened at $2.55 and has a 12‑month range of $0.69–$4.18 with a market cap of about $655M.
• Institutional investors have been adding shares—Vanguard, Two Seas, Wasatch and State Street all increased stakes and Orbimed opened a new position—leaving institutions owning roughly 47.39% of the company.

Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the eight ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $7.60.

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Citizens Jmp increased their target price on Esperion Therapeutics from $4.00 to $5.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on Esperion Therapeutics from $4.00 to $5.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd.

Esperion Therapeutics Stock Down 2.3%

ESPR opened at $2.55 on Tuesday. Esperion Therapeutics has a 12 month low of $0.69 and a 12 month high of $4.18. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $3.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $3.16. The stock has a market cap of $654.87 million, a P/E ratio of -15.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.17.

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.23 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $168.45 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $165.12 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that Esperion Therapeutics will post -0.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Esperion Therapeutics

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 23.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,945,454 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $55,298,000 after acquiring an additional 2,853,005 shares in the last quarter. Two Seas Capital LP grew its holdings in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 22.1% in the 4th quarter. Two Seas Capital LP now owns 11,902,521 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $44,039,000 after acquiring an additional 2,152,797 shares in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 33.8% in the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 9,445,759 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $34,949,000 after acquiring an additional 2,383,902 shares in the last quarter. Orbimed Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at about $22,072,000. Finally, State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 32.4% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,930,296 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $21,942,000 after acquiring an additional 1,451,462 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 47.39% of the company's stock.

About Esperion Therapeutics

Esperion Therapeutics, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of oral, low–density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)–lowering therapies. The company's research and development efforts center on small-molecule compounds designed to address atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease by targeting cholesterol biosynthesis pathways. Esperion seeks to provide novel treatment options for patients who require additional LDL-C reduction beyond what is achieved with statins or who are statin-intolerant.

The company's lead products include NEXLETOL (bempedoic acid), an oral adenosine triphosphate–citrate lyase (ACL) inhibitor approved by the U.S.

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