Liquidia Corporation $LQDA Stock Holdings Lifted by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

Key Points

• The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its Liquidia stake by 63.3% in the first quarter, owning 58,265 shares valued at approximately $2.2 million. Institutional investors collectively hold 64.54% of LQDA.
• Analyst sentiment is generally positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.18. Price targets range from $62 to $129.
• Liquidia reported quarterly revenue of $132.87 million, up 4,187.1% year over year, and earnings of $0.52 per share, beating expectations of $0.41. Insiders sold $125.8 million worth of shares during the latest quarter, primarily through pre-arranged plans to cover tax obligations.

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in shares of Liquidia Corporation (NASDAQ:LQDA - Free Report) by 63.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 58,265 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 22,592 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned 0.07% of Liquidia worth $2,199,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in LQDA. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. purchased a new position in Liquidia during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Liquidia by 41.9% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,216 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 359 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Liquidia in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Hurley Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Liquidia by 140.7% in the fourth quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 5,200 shares of the company's stock worth $179,000 after buying an additional 3,040 shares during the period. Finally, WealthShield Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Liquidia in the fourth quarter worth $203,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.54% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on LQDA. Oppenheimer set a $75.00 price target on Liquidia in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Piper Sandler set a $129.00 price objective on Liquidia in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Liquidia from $51.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Zacks Research upgraded Liquidia from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Liquidia from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Liquidia currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $86.18.

Insider Buying and Selling at Liquidia

In related news, insider Sanjeev Khindri sold 1,185 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.51, for a total value of $84,739.35. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 65,947 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,715,869.97. The trade was a 1.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Jason Adair sold 688 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.53, for a total value of $60,220.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 216,438 shares in the company, valued at $18,944,818.14. This represents a 0.32% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 1,806,861 shares of company stock worth $125,814,362 over the last quarter. Insiders own 25.60% of the company's stock.

Liquidia Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LQDA opened at $90.22 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $8.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 644.47 and a beta of 0.58. Liquidia Corporation has a 1 year low of $19.02 and a 1 year high of $91.57. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $76.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $53.81.

Liquidia (NASDAQ:LQDA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, May 11th. The company reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.11. Liquidia had a return on equity of 46.82% and a net margin of 7.74%.The firm had revenue of $132.87 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $119.44 million. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4187.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Liquidia Corporation will post 3.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Liquidia

Liquidia Technologies, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. The company leverages its proprietary PRINT® (Particle Replication In Non-wetting Templates) platform to engineer precisely shaped and sized drug particles, with the goal of improving delivery, efficacy and safety profiles. By controlling particle characteristics at the nanoscale, Liquidia seeks to enhance respiratory and other therapies that depend on targeted delivery.

The company's lead product candidate, LIQ861, is a dry powder formulation of treprostinil designed for inhalation in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LQDA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Liquidia Corporation (NASDAQ:LQDA - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source