Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH) Trading Up 4.6%

Shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMPH) shot up 4.6% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $44.14 and last traded at $43.84. 54,293 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 433,894 shares. The stock had previously closed at $41.91.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on AMPH shares. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $60.00 target price for the company. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Amphastar Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Amphastar Pharmaceuticals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.00.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 3.5 %

The company has a fifty day moving average of $42.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $50.55. The company has a market cap of $2.12 billion, a PE ratio of 15.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 1.72 and a current ratio of 2.18.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.84 by ($0.03). Amphastar Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 22.88% and a return on equity of 29.17%. The company had revenue of $178.11 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.90 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post 3.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Amphastar Pharmaceuticals news, Director Michael A. Zasloff sold 12,500 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 $1,006,160.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 14,000 shares of company stock worth $655,145 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 27.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Amphastar Pharmaceuticals

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 870.9% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 237,474 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,688,000 after acquiring an additional 213,014 shares in the last quarter. Shaker Investments LLC OH boosted its stake in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 136.0% during the fourth quarter. Shaker Investments LLC OH now owns 49,078 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,035,000 after buying an additional 28,283 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its stake in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 44.8% during the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 554,850 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,518,000 after buying an additional 171,642 shares during the last quarter. Walleye Capital LLC acquired a new position in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth $1,833,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 352,378 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,206,000 after purchasing an additional 24,116 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.09% of the company’s stock.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

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.