Liquidia Technologies (NASDAQ:LQDA) Stock Price Up 4.3% - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Liquidia Technologies stocks rose 4.3% recently, reaching a trading price of $23.85, with a significant drop in trading volume, indicating varying investor interest.
• Analyst ratings for LQDA are mixed, with one Strong Buy, seven Buy ratings, and two Sell ratings; the average target price stands at $32.38.
• Despite a quarterly earnings miss with an EPS of ($0.49), Liquidia reported a remarkable 141.5% revenue increase year-over-year, achieving $8.84 million compared to forecasts.

Liquidia Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:LQDA - Get Free Report) shares rose 4.3% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $23.95 and last traded at $23.85. Approximately 894,415 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 54% from the average daily volume of 1,925,573 shares. The stock had previously closed at $22.86.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LQDA has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Liquidia Technologies from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 11th. Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on shares of Liquidia Technologies from $32.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and set a $35.00 price objective on shares of Liquidia Technologies in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Liquidia Technologies from $25.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Liquidia Technologies in a report on Saturday, September 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Liquidia Technologies presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $32.38.

Liquidia Technologies Price Performance

The business's 50-day moving average price is $24.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.14. The company has a quick ratio of 2.41, a current ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.84. The company has a market capitalization of $2.05 billion, a P/E ratio of -14.01 and a beta of 0.15.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Liquidia Technologies

In other Liquidia Technologies news, Director Raman Singh sold 45,524 shares of Liquidia Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total transaction of $1,174,974.44. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 31,255 shares in the company, valued at $806,691.55. The trade was a 59.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jason Adair sold 26,057 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.86, for a total transaction of $725,948.02. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 171,029 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,764,867.94. The trade was a 13.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 881,097 shares of company stock valued at $23,689,864 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 26.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LQDA. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Liquidia Technologies in the fourth quarter worth $526,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of Liquidia Technologies by 26.9% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 105,734 shares of the company's stock worth $1,243,000 after buying an additional 22,445 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its stake in shares of Liquidia Technologies by 17.5% in the fourth quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 51,928 shares of the company's stock worth $611,000 after buying an additional 7,725 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Liquidia Technologies by 2,342.7% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 43,675 shares of the company's stock valued at $644,000 after purchasing an additional 41,887 shares during the period. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in Liquidia Technologies by 6.0% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 85,463 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,261,000 after purchasing an additional 4,811 shares during the period. 64.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Liquidia Technologies

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).

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