Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. $ESPR Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its holdings in Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) by 51.7% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 190,056 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 203,234 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Esperion Therapeutics were worth $504,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Jones Financial Companies Lllp acquired a new stake in Esperion Therapeutics in the first quarter valued at $278,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Esperion Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Summit Wealth Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 10.2% in the 2nd quarter. Summit Wealth Group LLC now owns 323,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $318,000 after acquiring an additional 30,000 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics by 3.1% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,583,988 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $4,513,000 after purchasing an additional 137,691 shares during the period. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Esperion Therapeutics by 30.4% during the 2nd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 123,040 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $121,000 after acquiring an additional 28,695 shares in the last quarter. 47.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Esperion Therapeutics Trading Down 1.4%

ESPR opened at $3.52 on Friday. Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. has a 1 year low of $0.69 and a 1 year high of $4.18. The stock has a market cap of $841.49 million, a PE ratio of -7.04, a P/E/G ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.09. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $3.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $3.02.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on ESPR. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $9.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Esperion Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $8.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Benjamin Halladay sold 7,337 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.67, for a total transaction of $26,926.79. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 467,525 shares in the company, valued at $1,715,816.75. This represents a 1.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 15,543 shares of company stock valued at $55,709 in the last three months. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

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.