Liquidia (NASDAQ:LQDA) CEO Sells $1,407,250.00 in Stock

Key Points

• Liquidia CEO Roger Jeffs sold 25,000 shares on May 13 at an average price of $56.29, totaling about $1.41 million. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, and Jeffs still owned more than 1.24 million shares afterward.
• The stock has surged sharply, trading at $56.93 in Friday’s session and nearing its 52-week high of $59.75. Liquidia’s market cap is now about $5.06 billion, well above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• Recent earnings were strong and analysts turned more bullish, with Liquidia beating quarterly EPS and revenue estimates and posting 4,187% year-over-year revenue growth. Several firms raised price targets after the report, reinforcing a positive near-term outlook.

Liquidia Corporation (NASDAQ:LQDA - Get Free Report) CEO Roger Jeffs sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.29, for a total transaction of $1,407,250.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,248,095 shares in the company, valued at $70,255,267.55. The trade was a 1.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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.

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

• On Friday, May 15th, Roger Jeffs sold 25,000 shares of Liquidia stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.04, for a total transaction of $1,426,000.00.
• 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 transaction of $1,037,500.00.
• On Thursday, May 7th, Roger Jeffs sold 25,000 shares of Liquidia stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.09, for a total transaction of $1,052,250.00.
• On Tuesday, May 5th, Roger Jeffs sold 25,000 shares of Liquidia stock. The stock was 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 stock was 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 stock was sold at an average price of $38.37, for a total value 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 value 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 value of $1,003,000.00.

Liquidia Price Performance

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

Liquidia (NASDAQ:LQDA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 11th. The company reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.11. Liquidia had a return on equity of 46.82% and a net margin of 7.74%.The company had revenue of $132.87 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $119.44 million. Liquidia's revenue for the quarter was up 4187.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Liquidia Corporation will post 2.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Liquidia News Roundup

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LQDA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Liquidia from $51.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Needham & Company LLC boosted 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. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of Liquidia in a research note on Monday. Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Liquidia in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Lifesci Capital raised shares of Liquidia to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Liquidia currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $49.33.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LQDA. Pale Fire Capital SE grew its holdings in Liquidia by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Pale Fire Capital SE now owns 388,377 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,657,000 after buying an additional 8,985 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in Liquidia by 306.3% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 35,655 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,346,000 after buying an additional 26,879 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank grew its holdings in Liquidia by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 120,400 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,544,000 after buying an additional 1,600 shares during the period. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Liquidia in the 1st quarter valued at about $772,000. Finally, Archer Investment Corp purchased a new stake in Liquidia in the 1st quarter valued at about $259,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.54% of the company's stock.

About Liquidia

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).

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