Emergent Biosolutions (NYSE:EBS) Stock Price Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Emergent Biosolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) shares crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $9.85 and traded as high as $12.05. Emergent Biosolutions shares last traded at $11.3350, with a volume of 566,824 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on EBS shares. Zacks Research raised shares of Emergent Biosolutions to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Emergent Biosolutions from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, November 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Emergent Biosolutions in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $15.00 price objective on shares of Emergent Biosolutions in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Emergent Biosolutions presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $15.00.

Emergent Biosolutions Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $595.31 million, a P/E ratio of 8.72 and a beta of 2.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 3.15 and a current ratio of 5.76. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $11.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $9.85.

Emergent Biosolutions (NYSE:EBS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.12) by $1.18. Emergent Biosolutions had a return on equity of 20.85% and a net margin of 9.62%.The company had revenue of $231.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $203.67 million. On average, analysts forecast that Emergent Biosolutions Inc. will post -0.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Ronald Richard sold 21,984 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.97, for a total transaction of $263,148.48. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 98,417 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,178,051.49. This represents a 18.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Emergent Biosolutions

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Emergent Biosolutions in the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in Emergent Biosolutions in the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. bought a new stake in Emergent Biosolutions in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in Emergent Biosolutions by 361.3% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 6,163 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $76,000 after buying an additional 4,827 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Emergent Biosolutions during the 2nd quarter valued at $53,000. Institutional investors own 78.40% of the company’s stock.

About Emergent Biosolutions

Emergent BioSolutions is a global specialty biopharmaceutical company focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing medical countermeasures and specialty products that address public health threats. The company’s portfolio includes vaccines, antibody therapies and critical care products designed to protect against biological, chemical and emerging infectious disease threats. Emergent has longstanding partnerships with government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Defense and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), to support national preparedness programs.

Key commercial products in Emergent’s lineup include BioThrax (anthrax vaccine adsorbed), ACAM2000 (smallpox vaccine) and Vaxchora (cholera vaccine), alongside therapeutic treatments such as Anthrasil (anthrax immune globulin) and the naloxone-based nasal spray Narcan for opioid overdose reversal.