Supernus Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:SUPN) Upgraded to "Strong-Buy" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Supernus Pharmaceuticals from “buy” to “strong-buy,” adding to a mixed analyst picture that still leaves the stock with a consensus rating of “Hold.”
• The shares were down 1.4% in Friday trading to $51.53, with a market cap of about $2.99 billion and a 12-month range of $30.83 to $59.68.
• Insiders and institutions were active: CEO Jack A. Khattar and Director Frederick M. Hudson both sold shares recently, while several hedge funds increased or initiated positions in the company.

Supernus Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:SUPN - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on SUPN. Craig Hallum set a $65.00 price objective on shares of Supernus Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Supernus Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Supernus Pharmaceuticals from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $62.17.

Supernus Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of SUPN opened at $51.53 on Friday. Supernus Pharmaceuticals has a 12-month low of $30.83 and a 12-month high of $59.68. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $51.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $49.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.99 billion, a P/E ratio of -101.04, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.57.

Insider Activity at Supernus Pharmaceuticals

In other Supernus Pharmaceuticals news, CEO Jack A. Khattar sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.37, for a total transaction of $1,762,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 958,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at $48,259,497. This trade represents a 3.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Frederick M. Hudson sold 5,369 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.61, for a total transaction of $271,725.09. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 60,413 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,057,501.93. This trade represents a 8.16% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 120,881 shares of company stock valued at $6,139,356 over the last quarter. 8.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Supernus Pharmaceuticals

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in SUPN. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Supernus Pharmaceuticals by 62.0% in the third quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 86,179 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $4,118,000 after acquiring an additional 32,979 shares in the last quarter. Ruffer LLP acquired a new stake in Supernus Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,647,000. Phocas Financial Corp. acquired a new stake in Supernus Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,042,000. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL acquired a new stake in Supernus Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,434,000. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its holdings in Supernus Pharmaceuticals by 648.9% in the third quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 112,638 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $5,383,000 after acquiring an additional 97,597 shares in the last quarter.

Supernus Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc, headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, is a specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing central nervous system (CNS) therapies. Since its founding in 2003, Supernus has focused on advancing treatments for neurological disorders, with an emphasis on improving patient quality of life through innovative dosage forms and sustained‐release formulations.

The company's marketed portfolio includes Trokendi XR and Oxtellar XR, extended‐release antiepileptic medications designed to maintain stable drug levels for seizure control, as well as Qelbree (viloxazine extended‐release capsules), approved for the treatment of attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in pediatric and adult patients.

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