Liquidia Co. (NASDAQ:LQDA) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Liquidia Co. (NASDAQ:LQDA) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation, five have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $23.14.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on LQDA shares. Oppenheimer started coverage on Liquidia in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Bank of America reduced their target price on Liquidia from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $25.00 price objective on shares of Liquidia in a research report on Monday, August 19th. HC Wainwright lowered their target price on shares of Liquidia from $32.00 to $29.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, BTIG Research decreased their price objective on shares of Liquidia from $29.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 19th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Liquidia news, Director Caligan Partners Lp purchased 150,000 shares of Liquidia stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The shares were bought at an average price of $9.51 per share, for a total transaction of $1,426,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,994,997 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $66,522,421.47. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Liquidia news, Director Caligan Partners Lp purchased 150,000 shares of Liquidia stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $9.51 per share, for a total transaction of $1,426,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 6,994,997 shares in the company, valued at approximately $66,522,421.47. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Roger Jeffs sold 8,053 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.53, for a total transaction of $100,904.09. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 818,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,261,217.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 21,422 shares of company stock worth $256,998. 31.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Liquidia

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Whitcomb & Hess Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Liquidia by 10.2% during the third quarter. Whitcomb & Hess Inc. now owns 11,599 shares of the company’s stock worth $116,000 after buying an additional 1,074 shares during the period. American International Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Liquidia by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. American International Group Inc. now owns 24,806 shares of the company’s stock valued at $366,000 after buying an additional 1,215 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in Liquidia by 10.7% during the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 13,842 shares of the company’s stock worth $166,000 after acquiring an additional 1,341 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC raised its position in Liquidia by 6.6% during the first quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 33,250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $490,000 after acquiring an additional 2,057 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in Liquidia in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 64.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Liquidia Stock Performance

Shares of Liquidia stock opened at $10.01 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $10.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $12.31. Liquidia has a 52-week low of $5.71 and a 52-week high of $16.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $764.52 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.41 and a beta of 0.22.

Liquidia (NASDAQ:LQDA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported ($0.37) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.35) by ($0.02). Liquidia had a negative net margin of 755.46% and a negative return on equity of 183.57%. The company had revenue of $3.66 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.92 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Liquidia will post -1.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Liquidia Company Profile

Liquidia Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company, develops, manufactures, and commercializes various products for unmet patient needs in the United States. Its lead product candidates include YUTREPIA, an inhaled dry powder formulation of treprostinil for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease (PH-ILD).