Liquidia Technologies (NASDAQ:LQDA) Trading Up 11.5% - What's Next?

Key Points

• Liquidia Technologies shares experienced an 11.5% increase, trading as high as $19.72, significantly higher than the previous close of $17.68.
• Wall Street analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Liquidia, with an average price target of $26.89, reflecting a generally favorable outlook despite a mixed rating history.
• The company reported a quarterly loss of ($0.45) EPS, falling short of analysts' expectations, with total revenue of $3.12 million against estimates of $3.23 million.

Liquidia Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:LQDA - Get Free Report)'s stock price traded up 11.5% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $19.52 and last traded at $19.72. 1,315,760 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 19% from the average session volume of 1,627,750 shares. The stock had previously closed at $17.68.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Liquidia Technologies in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Liquidia Technologies from $25.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 11th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Liquidia Technologies from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Oppenheimer set a $13.00 target price on shares of Liquidia Technologies and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Liquidia Technologies from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $26.89.

Liquidia Technologies Trading Up 2.1%

The company has a current ratio of 2.93, a quick ratio of 2.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.08. The company's fifty day moving average is $15.28 and its 200-day moving average is $15.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.75 billion, a P/E ratio of -12.96 and a beta of 0.14.

Liquidia Technologies (NASDAQ:LQDA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported ($0.45) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.42) by ($0.03). Liquidia Technologies had a negative net margin of 903.80% and a negative return on equity of 177.91%. The business had revenue of $3.12 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.23 million. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Liquidia Technologies, Inc. will post -1.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Rajeev Saggar sold 5,327 shares of Liquidia Technologies 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 $76,069.56. Following the transaction, the insider owned 271,413 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,875,777.64. This trade represents a 1.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Michael Kaseta sold 11,580 shares of Liquidia Technologies 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 $165,362.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 406,412 shares in the company, valued at $5,803,563.36. This trade represents a 2.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 60,277 shares of company stock worth $869,392. 30.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LQDA. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in Liquidia Technologies by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 31,243 shares of the company's stock valued at $367,000 after purchasing an additional 1,277 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its holdings in shares of Liquidia Technologies by 53.4% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 51,075 shares of the company's stock worth $601,000 after purchasing an additional 17,790 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Liquidia Technologies in the 4th quarter worth $218,000. Millennium Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Liquidia Technologies in the 4th quarter worth $526,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Liquidia Technologies by 2,342.7% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 43,675 shares of the company's stock worth $644,000 after purchasing an additional 41,887 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.54% of the company's stock.

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).