Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) Stock Price Down 5.4% - What's Next?

Key Points

• Esperion Therapeutics shares fell by 5.4%, trading at $2.56 with a decrease in volume compared to its average, indicating a weakening investor interest.
• Analysts have mixed views on the stock, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a target price of $7.00; however, Weiss Ratings issued a "sell" rating.
• Despite the recent drop, Esperion reported an earnings per share (EPS) of ($0.02) which surpassed expectations, alongside a quarterly revenue of $82.39 million, higher than estimates.

Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR - Get Free Report) shares were down 5.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $2.56 and last traded at $2.56. Approximately 4,395,036 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 18% from the average daily volume of 5,340,816 shares. The stock had previously closed at $2.70.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on ESPR shares. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $16.00 target price on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Friday, September 19th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Esperion Therapeutics from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, September 26th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Esperion Therapeutics presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $7.00.

Esperion Therapeutics Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $519.17 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 146.63 and a beta of 0.96. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $2.44 and a 200 day moving average of $1.56.

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.02) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.17) by $0.15. The company had revenue of $82.39 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $62.55 million. Research analysts predict that Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. will post -0.29 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Esperion Therapeutics

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 161.1% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 255,480 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $368,000 after acquiring an additional 157,647 shares in the last quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 153.5% in the first quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 487,735 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $702,000 after acquiring an additional 295,320 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 1,174.2% in the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 127,424 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $125,000 after acquiring an additional 117,424 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics in the first quarter valued at approximately $4,446,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 36.0% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 761,980 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,097,000 after acquiring an additional 201,704 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 47.39% of the company's stock.

Esperion Therapeutics Company Profile

Esperion Therapeutics, Inc, a pharmaceutical company, develops and commercializes medicines for the treatment of patients with elevated low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Its marketed products include NEXLETOL (bempedoic acid) and NEXLIZET (bempedoic acid and ezetimibe) tablets that are oral, once-daily, non-statin medicines for the treatment of primary hyperlipidemia in adults with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia or atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease who require additional lowering of LDL-C.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.