D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Invests $379,000 in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:CPRX)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. bought a new position in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:CPRX - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 18,173 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock, valued at approximately $379,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in CPRX. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 125.1% during the fourth 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 during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $65,000. KBC Group NV boosted its position in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 48.8% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,699 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 1,542 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $104,000. 79.22% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 1.3%

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals stock traded up $0.31 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $24.89. The stock had a trading volume of 2,081,400 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,110,361. The stock has a market cap of $3.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.09, a P/E/G ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.70. Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $14.75 and a 12 month high of $26.16. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $23.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $22.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Catalyst Pharmaceuticals

In other Catalyst Pharmaceuticals news, insider Brian Elsbernd sold 62,975 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.98, for a total value of $1,447,165.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 188,564 shares in the company, valued at $4,333,200.72. This represents a 25.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Gary Ingenito sold 44,904 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.09, for a total value of $991,929.36. Following the sale, the insider now owns 68,873 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,521,404.57. This trade represents a 39.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 351,879 shares of company stock worth $8,214,815 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 10.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on CPRX. Wall Street Zen raised Catalyst Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Catalyst Pharmaceuticals from $28.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Baird R W upgraded Catalyst Pharmaceuticals to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $33.00 price target on shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $35.00 target price on shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, February 28th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Catalyst Pharmaceuticals presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $32.29.

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Profile

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.