Liquidia (NASDAQ:LQDA) CEO Roger Jeffs Sells 25,000 Shares

Key Points

• Liquidia CEO Roger Jeffs sold 25,000 shares on May 15 at an average price of $57.04, bringing in about $1.43 million. The trade was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, and Jeffs still directly owns 1,198,095 shares.
• The sale was part of a string of recent insider transactions, with Jeffs also selling 25,000 shares on multiple dates in April and May. In total, the article shows repeated insider selling over several weeks.
• Liquidia’s stock has been strong recently, trading near its 52-week high of $59.75 after a solid earnings report that beat expectations on both revenue and EPS. Analysts have also been raising price targets and mostly maintain bullish ratings on the stock.

Liquidia Corporation (NASDAQ:LQDA - Get Free Report) CEO Roger Jeffs sold 25,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.04, for a total value of $1,426,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,198,095 shares in the company, valued at $68,339,338.80. This trade represents a 2.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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.

Roger Jeffs also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, May 13th, Roger Jeffs sold 25,000 shares of Liquidia stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.29, for a total value of $1,407,250.00.
• On Monday, May 11th, Roger Jeffs sold 25,000 shares of Liquidia stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.50, for a total value of $1,037,500.00.
• On Thursday, May 7th, Roger Jeffs sold 25,000 shares of Liquidia stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.09, for a total value of $1,052,250.00.
• On Tuesday, May 5th, Roger Jeffs sold 25,000 shares of Liquidia stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.10, for a total transaction of $1,002,500.00.
• On Friday, April 17th, Roger Jeffs sold 18,839 shares of Liquidia stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.60, for a total transaction of $764,863.40.
• On Wednesday, April 15th, Roger Jeffs sold 25,000 shares of Liquidia stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.14, for a total transaction of $1,003,500.00.
• On Tuesday, April 14th, Roger Jeffs sold 3,300 shares of Liquidia stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total transaction of $132,000.00.
• On Monday, April 13th, Roger Jeffs sold 32,744 shares of Liquidia stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.37, for a total transaction of $1,256,387.28.
• On Friday, April 10th, Roger Jeffs sold 21,433 shares of Liquidia stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.12, for a total transaction of $859,891.96.
• On Thursday, April 9th, Roger Jeffs sold 25,000 shares of Liquidia stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.12, for a total transaction of $1,003,000.00.

Liquidia Stock Performance

LQDA stock traded down $2.37 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $56.93. 2,143,237 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,717,407. Liquidia Corporation has a 52-week low of $11.85 and a 52-week high of $59.75. The stock has a market cap of $5.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 406.67 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The stock's 50-day moving average is $39.25 and its 200 day moving average is $35.80.

Liquidia (NASDAQ:LQDA - Get Free Report) last announced 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 net margin of 7.74% and a return on equity of 46.82%. The business had revenue of $132.87 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $119.44 million. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4187.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Liquidia Corporation will post 2.92 EPS for the current year.

Key Stories Impacting Liquidia

Here are the key news stories impacting Liquidia this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Liquidia’s first-quarter results beat Wall Street expectations on both earnings and revenue, reinforcing confidence that YUTREPIA is gaining commercial traction and that profitability is improving. Results: Liquidia Corporation Beat Earnings Expectations And Analysts Now Have New Forecasts
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts raised estimates and price targets after the earnings report, including HC Wainwright boosting near-term EPS forecasts and keeping a Buy rating with a $67 target, which supports the bullish outlook on LQDA. Liquidia (LQDA) price target increased by 22.37% to 63.24
• Positive Sentiment: Valuation-focused commentary highlighted that YUTREPIA-driven profitability and strong first-quarter performance could justify Liquidia’s recent share price strength if launch momentum continues. A Look At Liquidia (LQDA) Valuation After YUTREPIA Fueled Profitability And Strong First Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks noted improving earnings estimate revisions, suggesting analysts see additional upside potential for Liquidia in the near term. Earnings Estimates Moving Higher for Liquidia Corporation (LQDA): Time to Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Director Stephen Bloch sold 318,893 shares, a notable insider transaction, but it does not necessarily signal a change in the company’s operating outlook. Stephen Bloch Sells 318,893 Shares of Liquidia NASDAQ: LQDA Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: One analyst lowered a longer-dated EPS estimate, showing there is still some disagreement on how quickly growth can scale over time. Liquidia stock and analyst reports

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LQDA. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. bought a new position in Liquidia during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Liquidia in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ purchased a new position in shares of Liquidia during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in Liquidia during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in Liquidia by 41.9% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,216 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 359 shares during the last quarter. 64.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Liquidia from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Liquidia from $51.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on shares of Liquidia from $54.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday. HC Wainwright upped their target price on shares of Liquidia from $55.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, BTIG Research raised their price target on Liquidia from $50.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $49.33.

Liquidia Company Profile

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).

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.