Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH) Trading 3% Higher

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMPH)’s stock price rose 3% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $40.87 and last traded at $40.81. Approximately 174,550 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 62% from the average daily volume of 464,657 shares. The stock had previously closed at $39.62.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on AMPH shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $60.00 price objective for the company. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Amphastar Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $66.00.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 1.7 %

The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $47.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $51.34. The stock has a market cap of $1.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a current ratio of 2.17, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by ($0.03). Amphastar Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 21.34% and a return on equity of 26.95%. The company had revenue of $178.11 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.90 million. Equities analysts forecast that Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post 3.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Floyd F. Petersen sold 500 shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.10, for a total transaction of $26,550.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 80,333 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,265,682.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Amphastar Pharmaceuticals news, Director Michael A. Zasloff sold 12,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.18, for a total value of $589,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 21,326 shares in the company, valued at $1,006,160.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Floyd F. Petersen sold 500 shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.10, for a total value of $26,550.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 80,333 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,265,682.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 14,000 shares of company stock valued at $660,860 in the last ninety days. 27.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. lifted its stake in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 1.1% in the third quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 7,147,813 shares of the company’s stock valued at $200,854,000 after buying an additional 75,616 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 0.7% during the first quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 3,487,430 shares of the company’s stock worth $125,199,000 after acquiring an additional 23,095 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,815,596 shares of the company’s stock valued at $174,145,000 after acquiring an additional 48,203 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,917,571 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,909,000 after purchasing an additional 51,027 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp increased its holdings in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 16.6% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,540,846 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,606,000 after purchasing an additional 218,895 shares in the last quarter. 65.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Amphastar Pharmaceuticals

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a bio-pharmaceutical company, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells generic and proprietary injectable, inhalation, and intranasal products in the United States, China, and France. It offers BAQSIMI, a nasal spray for the treatment of severe hypoglycemia; Primatene Mist, an over-the-counter epinephrine inhalation product for the temporary relief of mild symptoms of intermittent asthma; Enoxaparin, to prevent and treat deep vein thrombosis; REXTOVY and Naloxone for opioid overdose; Glucagon for injection emergency kit; and Cortrosyn, for use as a diagnostic agent in the screening of patients with adrenocortical insufficiency.