Liquidia (NASDAQ:LQDA) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Liquidia (NASDAQ:LQDA) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Thursday, Zacks reports.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Liquidia from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $53.00 to $77.00 in a report on Wednesday. Wedbush set a $58.00 target price on shares of Liquidia in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Stephens set a $130.00 target price on shares of Liquidia in a report on Friday, July 24th. BTIG Research raised their price target on shares of Liquidia from $70.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Liquidia from $55.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Liquidia presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $75.23.

Liquidia Stock Down 1.2%

LQDA stock traded down $0.71 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $57.41. 1,932,184 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,107,374. The company has a market cap of $5.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -46.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.40. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $48.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $54.75. The company has a quick ratio of 2.12, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. Liquidia has a 52 week low of $22.31 and a 52 week high of $93.61.

Liquidia (NASDAQ:LQDA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 10th. The company reported ($2.64) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.96 by ($3.60). Liquidia had a positive return on equity of 264.65% and a negative net margin of 15.15%. The business had revenue of $225.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $214.18 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.04) EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 314.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Liquidia will post 0.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Liquidia

In other Liquidia news, CAO Dana Boyle sold 1,581 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.19, for a total transaction of $68,283.39. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 164,028 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,084,369.32. This trade represents a 0.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Scott Moomaw sold 8,863 shares of Liquidia stock in a transaction on Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.48, for a total transaction of $252,418.24. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 181,487 shares in the company, valued at $5,168,749.76. This represents a 4.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold a total of 566,579 shares of company stock valued at $25,746,120 in the last three months. Insiders own 25.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Liquidia

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Liquidia during the third quarter valued at about $3,931,000. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in Liquidia by 112.0% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 155,384 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,702,000 after purchasing an additional 82,095 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Liquidia by 5.3% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 317,407 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,605,000 after purchasing an additional 15,975 shares during the last quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in Liquidia in the 3rd quarter worth about $356,000. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its position in Liquidia by 90.0% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 458,708 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,881,000 after purchasing an additional 217,332 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.54% of the company’s stock.

Liquidia Company Profile

Liquidia Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing treatments for pulmonary hypertension and other serious diseases. Its work includes inhaled therapies designed to deliver medicines to the lungs. The company’s marketed product, Yutrepia (treprostinil) inhalation powder, is approved in the United States for adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension and pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease. Liquidia also has a pipeline of investigational therapies, including other formulations of treprostinil.