Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH) Sets New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMPH) reached a new 52-week low on Friday . The stock traded as low as $19.54 and last traded at $20.44, with a volume of 726331 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $19.96.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on AMPH. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $30.00 price target on the stock. Needham & Company LLC cut their target price on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals from $34.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Amphastar Pharmaceuticals from $34.00 to $30.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Zacks Research cut Amphastar Pharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday, December 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $29.50.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 2.90 and a current ratio of 4.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $927.36 million, a P/E ratio of 10.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.93. The business has a fifty day moving average of $26.73 and a 200-day moving average of $26.74.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.24). Amphastar Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 17.58% and a net margin of 13.63%.The business had revenue of $183.11 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $190.48 million. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post 3.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Amphastar Pharmaceuticals

In other news, EVP Rong Zhou sold 9,787 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.20, for a total value of $256,419.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 138,043 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,616,726.60. This represents a 6.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Floyd F. Petersen sold 2,426 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.92, for a total transaction of $62,881.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 71,368 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,849,858.56. This trade represents a 3.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 13,950 shares of company stock valued at $363,925 in the last quarter. 27.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Amphastar Pharmaceuticals

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 356.0% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 944 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 737 shares in the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its position in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 219.0% in the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,024 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 703 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 3,430.8% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,338 shares in the last quarter. 65.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.