Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) Earns “Market Outperform” Rating from JMP Securities

JMP Securities reaffirmed their market outperform rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) in a research note released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. JMP Securities currently has a $4.00 price objective on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock, down from their prior price objective of $7.00.

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

Esperion Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of ESPR opened at $1.79 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $352.70 million, a PE ratio of -2.80 and a beta of 1.01. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $2.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $2.12. Esperion Therapeutics has a 1 year low of $1.58 and a 1 year high of $3.94.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 38.4% in the 3rd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 23,346,013 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $38,521,000 after purchasing an additional 6,483,070 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Esperion Therapeutics by 4.1% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,331,314 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $7,148,000 after buying an additional 171,609 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in Esperion Therapeutics by 2.7% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,854,314 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $6,360,000 after buying an additional 99,802 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Esperion Therapeutics by 1.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,069,117 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $3,414,000 after buying an additional 19,588 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its stake in Esperion Therapeutics by 31.0% during 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 buying an additional 220,730 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 47.39% of the company’s stock.

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.