Liquidia (NASDAQ:LQDA) Stock Price Up 7% on Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Shares jumped about 7% after Wells Fargo raised its price target to $44 and kept an overweight rating, and multiple brokers (Needham, Jefferies, BTIG) also lifted targets, leaving a MarketBeat consensus of a Moderate Buy with a ~$42 price target.
• Results were mixed: Liquidia reported $0.15 EPS (missing a $0.33 consensus) on $92.02M revenue, but management highlighted strong YUTREPIA adoption, $148.3M FY2025 product sales and a second consecutive profitable quarter with ~$190.7M cash.
• Significant insider selling may pressure the stock—CEO Roger Jeffs sold 66,610 shares and insiders disposed of 212,534 shares in the past 90 days, while insiders still own about 26.5% of the company.

Shares of Liquidia Corporation (NASDAQ:LQDA - Get Free Report) were up 7% during trading on Friday after Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on the stock from $31.00 to $44.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Liquidia traded as high as $37.84 and last traded at $36.92. Approximately 585,783 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 72% from the average daily volume of 2,108,976 shares. The stock had previously closed at $34.52.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Needham & Company LLC increased their price target on shares of Liquidia from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen lowered Liquidia from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, January 18th. BTIG Research lifted their target price on Liquidia from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Liquidia from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Liquidia in a research note on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $42.00.

Insider Transactions at Liquidia

In other news, CAO Dana Boyle sold 1,580 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.65, for a total transaction of $65,807.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 178,848 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,449,019.20. This trade represents a 0.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Roger Jeffs sold 66,610 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.43, for a total transaction of $2,493,212.30. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,037,528 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $38,834,673.04. This trade represents a 6.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 212,534 shares of company stock valued at $7,964,719 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 26.50% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Liquidia

Here are the key news stories impacting Liquidia this week:

• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright raised its price target to $55 and maintained a Buy rating, reflecting aggressive upside and materially higher longer‑term EPS forecasts that support a higher valuation. HC Wainwright PT Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Needham and BTIG also bumped price targets (Needham to $54, BTIG to $50) and keep Buy ratings — consistent multi‑broker upgrades amplify buying interest from growth/healthcare investors. Needham PT Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Company reported strong YUTREPIA® adoption: $148.3M FY2025 product sales, $90.1M in Q4, over 3,600 prescriptions and the second consecutive profitable quarter with $190.7M cash — fundamentals that support higher forward earnings expectations. Company Results & Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly EPS headlines are mixed: Liquidia reported $0.15 EPS (reported by the company), which beat some low-model estimates but missed a higher consensus ($0.33) cited by other services — this divergence produced intraday volatility as investors reconcile differing expectations. Earnings Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Shares gapped down in early trading after the earnings release amid headlines calling the quarter “weak” relative to some expectations — that initial sell‑off pressured the stock despite the stronger underlying sales and cash metrics. Gap Down Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Notable insider and institutional selling has been reported (including a recent ~$5.1M manager sale), which may cap upside and concern short‑term investors about supply pressure. Insider/Manager Sale

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Liquidia

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. purchased a new stake in Liquidia during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Liquidia during the second quarter worth $25,000. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ acquired a new stake in shares of Liquidia during the third quarter worth $30,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Liquidia during the third quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its position in shares of Liquidia by 41.9% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,216 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 359 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.54% of the company's stock.

Liquidia Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $37.07 and a 200-day moving average of $30.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.19, a quick ratio of 1.96 and a current ratio of 2.20. The company has a market cap of $3.13 billion, a PE ratio of -25.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 0.52.

Liquidia (NASDAQ:LQDA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $0.15 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33 by ($0.18). The firm had revenue of $92.02 million during the quarter. Liquidia had a negative net margin of 176.04% and a negative return on equity of 296.78%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3072.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Liquidia Corporation will post -1.51 earnings per share for the current year.

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.