Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH) Upgraded to “Buy” at StockNews.com

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Monday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on AMPH. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals from $71.00 to $66.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Amphastar Pharmaceuticals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $63.00.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMPH opened at $46.98 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.63, a current ratio of 3.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals has a twelve month low of $36.56 and a twelve month high of $65.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.26, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.79. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $42.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $42.96.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.75 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $182.39 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $171.29 million. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 29.79% and a net margin of 23.36%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Amphastar Pharmaceuticals will post 3.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Rong Zhou sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.35, for a total value of $193,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 118,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,724,059.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Richard K. Prins sold 17,101 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.07, for a total transaction of $736,540.07. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 33,971 shares in the company, valued at $1,463,130.97. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Rong Zhou sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.35, for a total value of $193,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 118,388 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,724,059.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 37,979 shares of company stock valued at $1,656,097 over the last quarter. 27.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Amphastar Pharmaceuticals

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMPH. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter worth about $55,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its position in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 27.8% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,026 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 23.9% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,604 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 309 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.09% of the company’s stock.

About Amphastar Pharmaceuticals

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a bio-pharmaceutical company, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells generic and proprietary injectable, inhalation, and intranasal products in the United States, China, and France. It offers BAQSIMI, a nasal spray for the treatment of severe hypoglycemia; Primatene Mist, an over-the-counter epinephrine inhalation product for the temporary relief of mild symptoms of intermittent asthma; Enoxaparin, to prevent and treat deep vein thrombosis; REXTOVY and Naloxone for opioid overdose; Glucagon for injection emergency kit; and Cortrosyn, for use as a diagnostic agent in the screening of patients with adrenocortical insufficiency.