HC Wainwright Increases Catalyst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:CPRX) Price Target to $26.00

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:CPRX - Get Free Report) had its target price hoisted by equities research analysts at HC Wainwright from $24.00 to $26.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "buy" rating on the biopharmaceutical company's stock. HC Wainwright's target price points to a potential upside of 63.11% from the company's previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on CPRX. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and set a $34.00 price objective on shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $29.00 price target on shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. TheStreet raised shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals from a "c+" rating to a "b" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 12th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $27.00 price target on the stock. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $26.71.

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

NASDAQ:CPRX traded up $0.29 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $15.94. 1,436,920 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,431,789. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.66, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.89. Catalyst Pharmaceuticals has a 52-week low of $11.09 and a 52-week high of $17.51. The company's 50 day moving average price is $15.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $14.75.

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:CPRX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $110.57 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $105.78 million. Catalyst Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 17.93% and a return on equity of 26.56%. On average, equities analysts predict that Catalyst Pharmaceuticals will post 1.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Catalyst Pharmaceuticals news, Director David S. Tierney sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.68, for a total value of $392,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 348,874 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,470,344.32. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 11.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Catalyst Pharmaceuticals

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CPRX. Boston Partners boosted its stake in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 965.2% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,541,660 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $25,610,000 after purchasing an additional 1,396,930 shares during the last quarter. Mesirow Institutional Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in the first quarter worth approximately $11,463,000. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 64.0% in the third quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 897,046 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $10,486,000 after acquiring an additional 350,184 shares during the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 110.2% in the third quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 636,366 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $7,439,000 after acquiring an additional 333,562 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management boosted its position in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 25.6% in the third quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,240,769 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $14,505,000 after acquiring an additional 253,100 shares during the last quarter. 79.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing and commercializing therapies for people with rare debilitating, chronic neuromuscular, and neurological diseases in the United States. It offers Firdapse, an amifampridine phosphate tablets for the treatment of patients with lambert-eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS); and Ruzurgi for the treatment of pediatric LEMS patients.