Liquidia Co. (NASDAQ:LQDA) Given Average Rating of “Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Liquidia Co. (NASDAQ:LQDA) have received an average recommendation of “Buy” from the nine ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have issued a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $26.63.

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Liquidia in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $20.00 target price on the stock. Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Liquidia in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on Liquidia from $19.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $29.00 target price on shares of Liquidia in a research report on Thursday, March 20th.

Liquidia Stock Down 4.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:LQDA opened at $14.87 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.27 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.12 and a beta of 0.07. Liquidia has a 52-week low of $8.26 and a 52-week high of $16.81. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $15.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $12.34.

Liquidia (NASDAQ:LQDA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 19th. The company reported ($0.46) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.38) by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $2.92 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.60 million. Liquidia had a negative net margin of 765.38% and a negative return on equity of 163.21%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Liquidia will post -1.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Liquidia news, General Counsel Russell Schundler sold 16,393 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.78, for a total value of $193,109.54. Following the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 573,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,755,570.84. This trade represents a 2.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Rajeev Saggar sold 6,249 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.78, for a total value of $73,613.22. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 270,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,185,170.64. This represents a 2.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 71,245 shares of company stock valued at $843,326 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 30.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Liquidia

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Liquidia during the third quarter valued at $195,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Liquidia by 144.8% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 390,257 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,903,000 after buying an additional 230,820 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of Liquidia by 735.1% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 140,190 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,402,000 after buying an additional 123,402 shares during the period. Acuta Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Liquidia in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $735,000. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its position in Liquidia by 43.5% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 18,708 shares of the company’s stock valued at $187,000 after acquiring an additional 5,669 shares during the period. 64.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Liquidia

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).