Emergent BioSolutions (NYSE:EBS) Receives Buy Rating from HC Wainwright

Emergent BioSolutions (NYSE:EBS)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by research analysts at HC Wainwright in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $15.00 price objective on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock. HC Wainwright’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 209.09% from the stock’s current price.

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of Emergent BioSolutions from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th.

Emergent BioSolutions Stock Up 4.1 %

Shares of NYSE EBS opened at $4.85 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 2.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. The firm has a market cap of $263.70 million, a PE ratio of -1.18 and a beta of 1.80. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $7.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $8.63. Emergent BioSolutions has a 12-month low of $1.82 and a 12-month high of $15.10.

Emergent BioSolutions (NYSE:EBS) last posted its earnings results on Monday, March 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.35) by $0.40. The company had revenue of $194.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $254.67 million. Emergent BioSolutions had a negative net margin of 18.55% and a negative return on equity of 9.91%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.77) earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Emergent BioSolutions will post -0.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Emergent BioSolutions announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Monday, March 31st that allows the company to buyback $50.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the biopharmaceutical company to repurchase up to 19% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Emergent BioSolutions

In related news, Director Neal Franklin Fowler sold 35,000 shares of Emergent BioSolutions stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.83, for a total value of $204,050.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 101,100 shares in the company, valued at $589,413. The trade was a 25.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Emergent BioSolutions

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of EBS. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in Emergent BioSolutions by 5,458.5% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,946 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 2,893 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Emergent BioSolutions in the fourth quarter worth $63,000. Stifel Financial Corp bought a new stake in Emergent BioSolutions during the third quarter valued at about $96,000. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Emergent BioSolutions during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $98,000. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Emergent BioSolutions during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $110,000. 78.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Emergent BioSolutions

Emergent BioSolutions Inc, a life sciences company, provides preparedness and response solutions for accidental, deliberate, and naturally occurring public health threats in the United States. The company offers NARCAN Nasal Spray for the emergency treatment of known or suspected opioid overdose; Vaxchora vaccine for the prevention of cholera; Vivotif vaccine for oral administration for the prevention of typhoid fever; Anthrasil for the treatment of inhalational anthrax; BioThrax, an anthrax vaccine; CYFENDUS for post-exposure prophylaxis of disease following suspected or confirmed exposure to Bacillus anthracis; and Raxibacumab injection for the treatment and prophylaxis of inhalational anthrax.