Emergent Biosolutions (NYSE:EBS) Director Sells 17,800 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Director Donald Degolyer sold 17,800 Emergent BioSolutions shares at an average price of $7.09, generating $126,202. The transaction, conducted under a Rule 10b5-1 plan, reduced his direct holdings by 13.72% to 111,921 shares.
• Emergent BioSolutions shares rose 1.9% to $7.08 during Wednesday trading. The company recently reported quarterly revenue of $234.3 million and EPS of $0.60, exceeding analyst expectations.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with the stock carrying an average “Hold” rating and a $10 price target. Institutional investors own 78.4% of the company, while several major firms recently established or increased positions.

Emergent Biosolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS - Get Free Report) Director Donald Degolyer sold 17,800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.09, for a total value of $126,202.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 111,921 shares in the company, valued at approximately $793,519.89. The trade was a 13.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Emergent Biosolutions Trading Up 1.9%

Emergent Biosolutions stock traded up $0.13 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $7.08. 1,234,137 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 973,412. The firm has a market cap of $362.96 million, a PE ratio of -1.99 and a beta of 2.28. The company has a current ratio of 5.42, a quick ratio of 2.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $6.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $7.47. Emergent Biosolutions Inc. has a 12-month low of $4.36 and a 12-month high of $14.06.

Emergent Biosolutions (NYSE:EBS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.08) by $0.68. Emergent Biosolutions had a negative net margin of 22.95% and a positive return on equity of 16.35%. The company had revenue of $234.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $177.50 million. Research analysts expect that Emergent Biosolutions Inc. will post 0.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Emergent Biosolutions in a research note on Friday, August 21st. They issued an "underweight" rating for the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Emergent Biosolutions from a "sell (d-)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and set a $10.00 target price on shares of Emergent Biosolutions in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Emergent Biosolutions to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Emergent Biosolutions currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $10.00.

Institutional Trading of Emergent Biosolutions

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of EBS. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Emergent Biosolutions in the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,525,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Emergent Biosolutions by 22.4% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,757,158 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $22,884,000 after acquiring an additional 504,553 shares during the period. Ancora Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Emergent Biosolutions in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $8,949,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in shares of Emergent Biosolutions by 13.7% in the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 656,047 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $5,445,000 after purchasing an additional 78,900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Palisade Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Emergent Biosolutions in the second quarter valued at approximately $4,316,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.40% of the company's stock.

Emergent Biosolutions Company Profile

Emergent BioSolutions Inc NYSE: EBS is a life sciences company focused on developing, manufacturing and supplying medical countermeasures for public health threats, including chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear hazards, as well as infectious diseases. The company serves government agencies, healthcare providers and commercial customers.

Emergent's portfolio has included vaccines, therapeutics and other products used to prevent or treat serious health threats. Its offerings include BioThrax, an anthrax vaccine, and ACAM2000, a smallpox vaccine, along with products such as botulism antitoxin and vaccinia immune globulin.

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