Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) Downgraded to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report published on Friday.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on ESPR. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and issued a $16.00 price objective on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Friday, November 8th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on shares of Esperion Therapeutics from $8.00 to $6.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $8.17.

Esperion Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of ESPR stock traded up $0.02 on Friday, hitting $2.12. The stock had a trading volume of 6,498,641 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,177,420. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $1.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $2.14. Esperion Therapeutics has a 1 year low of $1.04 and a 1 year high of $3.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $417.72 million, a P/E ratio of -3.31 and a beta of 0.96.

Institutional Trading of Esperion Therapeutics

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ESPR. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $69,000. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System purchased a new position in Esperion Therapeutics in the first quarter valued at $50,000. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Esperion Therapeutics in the first quarter valued at $107,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Esperion Therapeutics by 71.8% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,826,546 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $23,655,000 after buying an additional 3,688,796 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bellevue Group AG lifted its holdings in Esperion Therapeutics by 136.5% during the 1st quarter. Bellevue Group AG now owns 9,944,064 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $26,650,000 after buying an additional 5,739,800 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 47.39% of the company’s stock.

Esperion Therapeutics Company Profile

Esperion Therapeutics, Inc, a pharmaceutical company, develops and commercializes medicines for the treatment of patients with elevated low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Its marketed products include NEXLETOL (bempedoic acid) and NEXLIZET (bempedoic acid and ezetimibe) tablets that are oral, once-daily, non-statin medicines for the treatment of primary hyperlipidemia in adults with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia or atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease who require additional lowering of LDL-C.