Insider Selling: Emergent Biosolutions (NYSE:EBS) Director Sells 17,202 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Director Kathryn Zoon sold 17,202 shares on May 1 at an average of $8.40 for $144,496.80 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, cutting her stake by 17.71% to 79,941 shares.
• Emergent beat expectations with $0.21 EPS (vs. -$0.25 est.) and $156.1M revenue, but the stock trades near $8.50, carries a negative P/E (-30.38) and a consensus Hold rating with an average target of $12.00.

Emergent Biosolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS - Get Free Report) Director Kathryn Zoon sold 17,202 shares of Emergent Biosolutions stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.40, for a total transaction of $144,496.80. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 79,941 shares in the company, valued at $671,504.40. This trade represents a 17.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Emergent Biosolutions Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE EBS traded up $0.04 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $8.51. The company's stock had a trading volume of 839,196 shares, compared to its average volume of 878,575. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a current ratio of 4.29. The stock has a market cap of $439.23 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -30.38 and a beta of 2.33. Emergent Biosolutions Inc. has a 12 month low of $4.71 and a 12 month high of $14.06. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $8.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $10.30.

Emergent Biosolutions (NYSE:EBS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.25) by $0.46. Emergent Biosolutions had a negative net margin of 1.27% and a positive return on equity of 10.76%. The firm had revenue of $156.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $145.00 million.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Emergent Biosolutions from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. HC Wainwright lowered their target price on shares of Emergent Biosolutions from $15.00 to $12.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Emergent Biosolutions from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, March 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Emergent Biosolutions presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $12.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Emergent Biosolutions

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in Emergent Biosolutions during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in Emergent Biosolutions during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co acquired a new position in Emergent Biosolutions during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Emergent Biosolutions during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in Emergent Biosolutions by 361.3% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 6,163 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $76,000 after acquiring an additional 4,827 shares during the last quarter. 78.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Emergent Biosolutions

Emergent BioSolutions is a global specialty biopharmaceutical company focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing medical countermeasures and specialty products that address public health threats. The company's portfolio includes vaccines, antibody therapies and critical care products designed to protect against biological, chemical and emerging infectious disease threats. Emergent has longstanding partnerships with government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Defense and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), to support national preparedness programs.

Key commercial products in Emergent's lineup include BioThrax (anthrax vaccine adsorbed), ACAM2000 (smallpox vaccine) and Vaxchora (cholera vaccine), alongside therapeutic treatments such as Anthrasil (anthrax immune globulin) and the naloxone-based nasal spray Narcan for opioid overdose reversal.

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