Investors Buy High Volume of Esperion Therapeutics Call Options (NASDAQ:ESPR)

Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) was the target of unusually large options trading on Friday. Stock traders bought 7,568 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 212% compared to the average daily volume of 2,429 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on Esperion Therapeutics from $4.00 to $5.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Citizens Jmp increased their price objective on Esperion Therapeutics from $4.00 to $5.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. HC Wainwright cut Esperion Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Esperion Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $8.75.

Esperion Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ESPR traded up $1.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $3.12. The company had a trading volume of 136,144,144 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,218,549. The company has a market capitalization of $801.80 million, a PE ratio of -18.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.17. Esperion Therapeutics has a 1-year low of $0.69 and a 1-year high of $4.18. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $2.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is $3.07.

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.23 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $168.45 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $165.12 million. On average, analysts expect that Esperion Therapeutics will post 0.05 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Esperion Therapeutics

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. raised its stake in Esperion Therapeutics by 209.2% in the third quarter. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. now owns 9,430 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 6,380 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Esperion Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. KFG Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Esperion Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Esperion Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Esperion Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. 47.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Esperion Therapeutics

Esperion Therapeutics, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of oral, low–density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)–lowering therapies. The company’s research and development efforts center on small-molecule compounds designed to address atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease by targeting cholesterol biosynthesis pathways. Esperion seeks to provide novel treatment options for patients who require additional LDL-C reduction beyond what is achieved with statins or who are statin-intolerant.

The company’s lead products include NEXLETOL (bempedoic acid), an oral adenosine triphosphate–citrate lyase (ACL) inhibitor approved by the U.S.