Esperion Therapeutics’ (ESPR) “Market Outperform” Rating Reaffirmed at JMP Securities

JMP Securities reaffirmed their market outperform rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) in a research report report published on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $4.00 price target on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock, down from their prior price target of $7.00.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on ESPR. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on Esperion Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $8.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com cut Esperion Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and issued a $16.00 price target on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $6.00 price target on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $4.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Esperion Therapeutics currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $6.75.

Esperion Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of ESPR opened at $1.79 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $2.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $2.12. Esperion Therapeutics has a 52-week low of $1.58 and a 52-week high of $3.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $352.70 million, a PE ratio of -2.80 and a beta of 1.01.

Institutional Trading of Esperion Therapeutics

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ESPR. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in Esperion Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at about $291,000. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Esperion Therapeutics by 43.0% in the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 81,385 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $179,000 after purchasing an additional 24,481 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp acquired a new stake in Esperion Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its stake in Esperion Therapeutics by 31.0% in the fourth quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 932,008 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,050,000 after acquiring an additional 220,730 shares during the period. Finally, SLT Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in Esperion Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $66,000. 47.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Esperion Therapeutics

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.