Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH) Receives Hold Rating from Needham & Company LLC

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH)‘s stock had its “hold” rating reissued by equities researchers at Needham & Company LLC in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on AMPH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $60.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com lowered 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $66.00.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 1.3 %

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $42.21 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a current ratio of 2.17. The stock has a market cap of $2.03 billion, a PE ratio of 16.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.85. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $42.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $50.69. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals has a one year low of $36.06 and a one year high of $67.66.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.84 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $178.11 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.90 million. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 21.34% and a return on equity of 26.95%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Amphastar Pharmaceuticals will post 3.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Amphastar Pharmaceuticals news, Director Michael A. Zasloff sold 12,500 shares of the company’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 value of $589,750.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 21,326 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,006,160.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 14,000 shares of company stock valued at $655,145 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 27.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Amphastar Pharmaceuticals

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AMPH. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 6.9% in the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 10,973 shares of the company’s stock worth $482,000 after purchasing an additional 708 shares during the period. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in the first quarter valued at approximately $693,000. Mesirow Institutional Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 38.5% during the 1st quarter. Mesirow Institutional Investment Management Inc. now owns 350,294 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,381,000 after buying an additional 97,463 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $481,000. Finally, Texas Permanent School Fund Corp grew its stake in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 32,704 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,436,000 after acquiring an additional 424 shares during the period. 65.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.