Invesco Ltd. Raises Stock Holdings in Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS)

Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS - Free Report) by 70.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,539,907 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 638,995 shares during the quarter. Invesco Ltd. owned 2.84% of Emergent BioSolutions worth $14,722,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Emergent BioSolutions by 864.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,911,327 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $15,960,000 after buying an additional 1,713,200 shares during the last quarter. Oak Hill Advisors LP purchased a new position in Emergent BioSolutions in the third quarter valued at about $9,296,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of Emergent BioSolutions by 23.4% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,137,712 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $20,437,000 after acquiring an additional 404,667 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP grew its position in shares of Emergent BioSolutions by 59.3% during the 4th quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 701,517 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $6,707,000 after acquiring an additional 261,099 shares during the period. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Emergent BioSolutions during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,831,000. 78.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EBS has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com lowered Emergent BioSolutions from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $15.00 price target on shares of Emergent BioSolutions in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Emergent BioSolutions news, Director Neal Franklin Fowler sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.83, for a total value of $204,050.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 101,100 shares in the company, valued at $589,413. This represents a 25.72 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Emergent BioSolutions Stock Performance

Shares of EBS stock traded up $0.24 during trading on Friday, reaching $5.61. 631,696 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,646,430. The firm's 50-day moving average is $5.59 and its 200 day moving average is $8.20. The company has a market capitalization of $304.83 million, a P/E ratio of -1.37 and a beta of 2.14. Emergent BioSolutions Inc. has a 1 year low of $1.82 and a 1 year high of $15.10. The company has a current ratio of 2.88, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30.

Emergent BioSolutions (NYSE:EBS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, March 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.35) by $0.40. The firm had revenue of $194.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $254.67 million. Emergent BioSolutions had a negative return on equity of 9.91% and a negative net margin of 18.55%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($0.77) earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Emergent BioSolutions Inc. will post -0.63 EPS for the current year.

Emergent BioSolutions announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Monday, March 31st that allows the company to repurchase $50.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the biopharmaceutical company to buy up to 19% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Emergent BioSolutions Company Profile

Emergent BioSolutions Inc, a life sciences company, provides preparedness and response solutions for accidental, deliberate, and naturally occurring public health threats in the United States. The company offers NARCAN Nasal Spray for the emergency treatment of known or suspected opioid overdose; Vaxchora vaccine for the prevention of cholera; Vivotif vaccine for oral administration for the prevention of typhoid fever; Anthrasil for the treatment of inhalational anthrax; BioThrax, an anthrax vaccine; CYFENDUS for post-exposure prophylaxis of disease following suspected or confirmed exposure to Bacillus anthracis; and Raxibacumab injection for the treatment and prophylaxis of inhalational anthrax.