Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH) Shares Up 5.5% – Still a Buy?

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMPH) shares were up 5.5% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $19.50 and last traded at $19.7310. Approximately 85,434 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 532,700 shares. The stock had previously closed at $18.70.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on AMPH shares. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $21.00 target price (down from $25.00) on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday, May 11th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $22.00 price target (down from $30.00) on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings lowered Amphastar Pharmaceuticals from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on Amphastar Pharmaceuticals from $23.00 to $20.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $24.00.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $869.12 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.88, a PEG ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 0.91. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $20.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 2.82 and a current ratio of 3.85.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by ($0.28). Amphastar Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 15.12% and a net margin of 11.00%.The company had revenue of $171.17 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $173.46 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post 2.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Amphastar Pharmaceuticals

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 46.3% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,381 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 437 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 37.8% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,685 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 462 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 24.2% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,233 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 435 shares during the last quarter. 65.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc is a specialty pharmaceutical company headquartered in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Founded in 2004, Amphastar focuses on the development, manufacturing and commercialization of injectable and inhalation products. The company’s manufacturing facilities in California produce both generic and proprietary formulations designed to address urgent and chronic medical conditions.

Amphastar’s portfolio includes a range of injectable generics such as epinephrine, naloxone and lidocaine, serving hospital, emergency medical and retail pharmacy channels.