Liquidia Technologies (NASDAQ:LQDA) Sets New 1-Year High on Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Liquidia Technologies (NASDAQ:LQDA) reached a new 52-week high, trading at $21.27 with a trading volume of over 3.4 million shares, up from a previous close of $20.45.
• Analysts have a generally positive outlook on Liquidia Technologies, with an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $26.89, as several firms upgraded their ratings and price targets recently.
• Insider trading activity has been noted, with several executives selling shares of the company, and currently, corporate insiders hold about 30.10% of the stock.

Liquidia Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:LQDA - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday after Raymond James Financial raised their price target on the stock from $33.00 to $41.00. Raymond James Financial currently has a strong-buy rating on the stock. Liquidia Technologies traded as high as $21.27 and last traded at $21.20, with a volume of 3450160 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $20.45.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on LQDA. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Liquidia Technologies from $25.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Liquidia Technologies from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Liquidia Technologies from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Liquidia Technologies from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, Oppenheimer set a $13.00 price objective on shares of Liquidia Technologies and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $31.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Sarah Krepp sold 2,673 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.28, for a total transaction of $38,170.44. Following the transaction, the insider owned 142,499 shares in the company, valued at $2,034,885.72. This trade represents a 1.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Jason Adair sold 2,576 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.28, for a total transaction of $36,785.28. Following the transaction, the insider owned 193,634 shares in the company, valued at $2,765,093.52. This represents a 1.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 90,277 shares of company stock valued at $1,469,392 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 26.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Liquidia Technologies

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. NewEdge Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Liquidia Technologies in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Hurley Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Liquidia Technologies during the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Liquidia Technologies by 65.6% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,961 shares of the company's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 1,173 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Liquidia Technologies by 24.0% during the 2nd quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 6,200 shares of the company's stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Finally, Summit Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Liquidia Technologies by 35.0% during the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 6,632 shares of the company's stock valued at $78,000 after acquiring an additional 1,719 shares in the last quarter. 64.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Liquidia Technologies Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.84, a quick ratio of 2.91 and a current ratio of 2.49. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $16.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $15.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -15.26 and a beta of 0.14.

Liquidia Technologies (NASDAQ:LQDA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 12th. The company reported ($0.49) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.43) by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $8.84 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 million. Liquidia Technologies had a negative return on equity of 232.96% and a negative net margin of 732.17%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 141.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Liquidia Technologies, Inc. will post -1.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Liquidia Technologies Company Profile

Liquidia Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company, develops, manufactures, and commercializes various products for unmet patient needs in the United States. Its lead product candidates include YUTREPIA, an inhaled dry powder formulation of treprostinil for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease (PH-ILD).