Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) Short Interest Down 8.1% in January

Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 31,240,000 shares, a decrease of 8.1% from the January 15th total of 33,980,000 shares. Approximately 16.0% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 6,230,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.0 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $4.00 price objective (down previously from $7.00) on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $6.00 price target on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $8.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com cut Esperion Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Finally, HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $16.00 target price on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $6.75.

Esperion Therapeutics Stock Performance

Esperion Therapeutics stock traded up $0.01 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $1.87. 1,558,157 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,362,860. Esperion Therapeutics has a 52-week low of $1.58 and a 52-week high of $3.94. The stock has a market cap of $368.46 million, a P/E ratio of -2.92 and a beta of 1.01. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $2.14 and its 200 day moving average is $2.11.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its holdings in Esperion Therapeutics by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 3,616,200 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $7,956,000 after purchasing an additional 16,100 shares in the last quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $82,000. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 75.2% in the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 62,549 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $138,000 after buying an additional 26,843 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Esperion Therapeutics by 48.6% during the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 3,119,253 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $6,862,000 after acquiring an additional 1,020,243 shares during the period. Finally, D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. raised its position in Esperion Therapeutics by 152.7% in the fourth quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 251,592 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $554,000 after acquiring an additional 152,019 shares in the last quarter. 47.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Esperion Therapeutics Company Profile

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.