Insider Selling: Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) Insider Sells 11,824 Shares

Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) insider Benjamin Looker sold 11,824 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.15, for a total value of $37,245.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 667,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,102,700.60. This trade represents a 1.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Esperion Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of ESPR stock traded down $0.02 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $3.15. 17,492,649 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,162,250. Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. has a 12 month low of $0.95 and a 12 month high of $4.18. The company has a market cap of $811.72 million, a P/E ratio of -52.50, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.07. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $2.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3.12.

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 8th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.10) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $80.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $84.52 million. Esperion Therapeutics had a net margin of 0.12% and a negative return on equity of 0.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on ESPR shares. Needham & Company LLC downgraded shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Piper Sandler downgraded Esperion Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Esperion Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Finally, HC Wainwright lowered Esperion Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $3.16 target price for the company. in a report on Friday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $5.54.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 66.9% during the first quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 15,768,897 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $43,207,000 after purchasing an additional 6,323,138 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 23.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,945,454 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $55,298,000 after acquiring an additional 2,853,005 shares during the period. Two Seas Capital LP boosted its holdings in Esperion Therapeutics by 22.1% in the fourth quarter. Two Seas Capital LP now owns 11,902,521 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $44,039,000 after acquiring an additional 2,152,797 shares during the last quarter. Orbimed Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Esperion Therapeutics by 77.2% in the first quarter. Orbimed Advisors LLC now owns 10,570,300 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $28,963,000 after acquiring an additional 4,604,802 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp increased its position in Esperion Therapeutics by 32.4% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,930,296 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $21,942,000 after purchasing an additional 1,451,462 shares during the period. 47.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Esperion Therapeutics Company Profile

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.