Zevra Therapeutics' (ZVRA) Sell (D+) Rating Reiterated at Weiss Ratings

Key Points

• Weiss Ratings has reiterated a "sell (D+)" rating for Zevra Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ZVRA), while other firms have given varied ratings including "outperform" and "overweight".
• Zevra Therapeutics reported a loss of ($0.06) earnings per share, falling significantly below the consensus estimate of $1.43, despite achieving a revenue of $25.88 million for the quarter.
• Insider trading activity includes CEO Neil F. Mcfarlane selling 19,500 shares of stock while Director John B. Bode increased his holdings by purchasing 5,000 shares.

Zevra Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ZVRA - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "sell (d+)" rating reissued by Weiss Ratings in a research note issued on Tuesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

ZVRA has been the subject of several other research reports. Citigroup restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Zevra Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on Zevra Therapeutics from $25.00 to $29.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Zacks Research lowered Zevra Therapeutics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, August 18th. JMP Securities lowered their price target on Zevra Therapeutics from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Zevra Therapeutics from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $24.00.

Zevra Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of ZVRA stock traded down $0.09 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $10.60. The stock had a trading volume of 407,684 shares, compared to its average volume of 988,023. Zevra Therapeutics has a one year low of $6.19 and a one year high of $13.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 7.85 and a quick ratio of 7.81. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $9.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $9.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $594.98 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -50.33 and a beta of 1.49.

Zevra Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ZVRA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 12th. The company reported ($0.06) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.43 by ($1.49). Zevra Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 112.40% and a net margin of 4.33%.The firm had revenue of $25.88 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.49 million. Equities analysts forecast that Zevra Therapeutics will post -1.95 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zevra Therapeutics

In other Zevra Therapeutics news, CEO Neil F. Mcfarlane sold 19,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.82, for a total transaction of $210,990.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 222,016 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,402,213.12. This trade represents a 8.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director John B. Bode bought 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $9.16 per share, for a total transaction of $45,800.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 45,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $412,200. This represents a 12.50% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Zevra Therapeutics

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Zevra Therapeutics by 30.0% during the 2nd quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 5,541 shares of the company's stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 1,280 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Zevra Therapeutics by 20,564.1% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,059 shares of the company's stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 8,020 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its stake in shares of Zevra Therapeutics by 617.5% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 9,937 shares of the company's stock worth $88,000 after acquiring an additional 8,552 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning purchased a new stake in shares of Zevra Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth about $92,000. Finally, Fox Run Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Zevra Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth about $99,000. 35.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Zevra Therapeutics Company Profile

Zevra Therapeutics, Inc discovers and develops various proprietary prodrugs to treat serious medical conditions in the United States. The company develops its products through Ligand Activated Therapy platform. Its lead product candidate is KP1077, consisting of KP1077IH, which is under Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of idiopathic hypersomnia, and KP1077N, which is under Phase ½ clinical trial to treat narcolepsy.

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