Swiss National Bank Sells 9,500 Shares of Liquidia Technologies, Inc. $LQDA

Key Points

• The Swiss National Bank reduced its holdings in Liquidia Technologies by 8.8%, owning 98,400 shares worth approximately $1.45 million after selling 9,500 shares during the first quarter.
• Liquidia Technologies reported a revenue increase of 141.5% year-over-year, reaching $8.84 million, although it posted a loss of ($0.49) EPS, missing analysts' expectations.
• A number of investment firms have recently altered their positions, with institutional investors now owning 64.54% of Liquidia Technologies' shares, reflecting significant interest from the investment community.

Swiss National Bank cut its holdings in shares of Liquidia Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:LQDA - Free Report) by 8.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 98,400 shares of the company's stock after selling 9,500 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned 0.12% of Liquidia Technologies worth $1,451,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hurley Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Liquidia Technologies during the first quarter worth approximately $32,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Liquidia Technologies by 65.6% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,961 shares of the company's stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 1,173 shares in the last quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Liquidia Technologies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $142,000. Bayesian Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Liquidia Technologies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $163,000. Finally, Significant Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Liquidia Technologies by 14.1% during the first quarter. Significant Wealth Partners LLC now owns 14,396 shares of the company's stock worth $212,000 after acquiring an additional 1,780 shares in the last quarter. 64.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on LQDA shares. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Liquidia Technologies from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 11th. HC Wainwright lifted their target price on shares of Liquidia Technologies from $29.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Liquidia Technologies from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Liquidia Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Liquidia Technologies from $25.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $32.11.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Jason Adair sold 2,576 shares of Liquidia Technologies stock in a transaction on Monday, July 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.28, for a total value of $36,785.28. Following the sale, the insider owned 193,634 shares in the company, valued at $2,765,093.52. The trade was a 1.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Michael Kaseta sold 30,000 shares of Liquidia Technologies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.00, for a total transaction of $600,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 376,412 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,528,240. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 90,277 shares of company stock valued at $1,469,392 over the last quarter. 26.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Liquidia Technologies Trading Up 0.8%

NASDAQ:LQDA traded up $0.22 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $27.68. The company had a trading volume of 2,174,424 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,122,468. The company has a market capitalization of $2.38 billion, a PE ratio of -16.28 and a beta of 0.14. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $18.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $16.36. Liquidia Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $8.75 and a 52 week high of $28.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.84, a current ratio of 2.49 and a quick ratio of 2.41.

Liquidia Technologies (NASDAQ:LQDA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 12th. The company reported ($0.49) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.43) by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $8.84 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.90 million. Liquidia Technologies had a negative net margin of 732.17% and a negative return on equity of 232.96%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 141.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Liquidia Technologies, Inc. will post -1.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Liquidia Technologies

Liquidia Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company, develops, manufactures, and commercializes various products for unmet patient needs in the United States. Its lead product candidates include YUTREPIA, an inhaled dry powder formulation of treprostinil for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease (PH-ILD).