Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $AMPH Shares Sold by Epoch Investment Partners Inc.

Key Points

• Epoch Investment Partners cut its Amphastar Pharmaceuticals stake by 20.2% in the first quarter, selling 227,690 shares and leaving it with 898,895 shares worth about $17.6 million.
• Several other hedge funds were active in the stock, and institutional investors now own 65.09% of Amphastar’s shares.
• Wall Street sentiment remains cautious: analysts have a consensus “Reduce” rating with an average price target of $22, while the stock recently traded at $18.72 after Amphastar missed quarterly EPS estimates.

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. decreased its holdings in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMPH - Free Report) by 20.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 898,895 shares of the company's stock after selling 227,690 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned 2.04% of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals worth $17,609,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 41.6% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,237,284 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,134,000 after buying an additional 363,216 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 382.9% during the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 392,310 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,455,000 after buying an additional 311,071 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG grew its stake in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 367.2% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 312,274 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,322,000 after acquiring an additional 245,440 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 12.7% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,027,947 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,726,000 after acquiring an additional 228,262 shares during the period. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 267.0% in the 3rd quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 312,337 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,324,000 after acquiring an additional 227,225 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.09% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $19.00 price objective (down from $30.00) on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $22.00 target price (down from $30.00) on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals from $23.00 to $20.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Bank of America reiterated an "underperform" rating and issued a $20.00 price objective (down from $25.00) on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday, June 29th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Amphastar Pharmaceuticals currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $22.00.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of AMPH opened at $18.72 on Friday. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $16.65 and a 52-week high of $31.26. The company has a quick ratio of 2.82, a current ratio of 3.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The firm's fifty day moving average is $19.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $21.91. The stock has a market cap of $825.36 million, a PE ratio of 11.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.68 and a beta of 0.89.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.70 by ($0.28). The business had revenue of $171.17 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $173.46 million. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 11.00% and a return on equity of 15.12%. Research analysts forecast that Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post 2.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Amphastar Pharmaceuticals

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc is a specialty pharmaceutical company headquartered in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Founded in 2004, Amphastar focuses on the development, manufacturing and commercialization of injectable and inhalation products. The company's manufacturing facilities in California produce both generic and proprietary formulations designed to address urgent and chronic medical conditions.

Amphastar's portfolio includes a range of injectable generics such as epinephrine, naloxone and lidocaine, serving hospital, emergency medical and retail pharmacy channels.

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