Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH) Shares Gap Up to $42.21

Shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMPH) gapped up before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $42.21, but opened at $45.56. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals shares last traded at $43.53, with a volume of 47,933 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AMPH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $60.00 price target for the company. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday. Finally, StockNews.com cut Amphastar Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $66.00.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $2.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.85. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $42.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $50.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 2.17 and a quick ratio of 1.70.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH) last posted 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). The business had revenue of $178.11 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.90 million. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 26.95% and a net margin of 21.34%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post 3.41 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Amphastar Pharmaceuticals

In other Amphastar Pharmaceuticals news, Director Michael A. Zasloff sold 12,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.18, for a total transaction of $589,750.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 21,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,006,160.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 14,000 shares of company stock valued at $655,145. Insiders own 27.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 99.2% in the third quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,261 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 628 shares during the period. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 27.8% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,026 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.09% of the company’s stock.

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.