Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:CPRX) Given Average Rating of "Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:CPRX - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Buy" from the five research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $26.43.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. TheStreet raised shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals from a "c+" rating to a "b" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 12th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, March 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $23.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com upgraded Catalyst Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Oppenheimer restated an "outperform" rating and set a $29.00 price objective on shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, March 14th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $27.00 target price for the company.

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 1.4 %

CPRX traded up $0.21 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $14.89. 772,199 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,467,338. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.07, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.89. Catalyst Pharmaceuticals has a 52-week low of $11.09 and a 52-week high of $17.76. The company's fifty day moving average price is $15.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $14.61.

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:CPRX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $110.57 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $105.78 million. Catalyst Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 26.56% and a net margin of 17.93%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Catalyst Pharmaceuticals will post 1.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Catalyst Pharmaceuticals

In related news, insider Brian Elsbernd sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.44, for a total value of $411,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 124,433 shares in the company, valued at $2,045,678.52. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 12.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Catalyst Pharmaceuticals

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,120,417 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $119,694,000 after buying an additional 73,930 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,601,797 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $43,738,000 after acquiring an additional 41,923 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its stake in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 965.2% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,541,660 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $25,610,000 after acquiring an additional 1,396,930 shares during the last quarter. Opaleye Management Inc. raised its position in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Opaleye Management Inc. now owns 1,257,200 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $21,436,000 after purchasing an additional 52,200 shares during the period. Finally, LSV Asset Management lifted its stake in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 25.6% in the 3rd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,240,769 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $14,505,000 after purchasing an additional 253,100 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.22% of the company's stock.

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.