Catalyst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:CPRX) Sets New 12-Month High at $17.99

Shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:CPRX) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $17.99 and last traded at $17.49, with a volume of 118339 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $17.59.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $29.00 target price on shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Thursday, June 6th. StockNews.com raised shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 7th. Finally, HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and set a $26.00 target price on shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, June 3rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $27.80.

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $2.06 billion, a PE ratio of 33.15 and a beta of 0.71. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $15.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $15.44.

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:CPRX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.31. The firm had revenue of $98.51 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $97.24 million. Catalyst Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 15.83% and a return on equity of 25.08%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Catalyst Pharmaceuticals

In related news, Director Molly Harper sold 5,333 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.30, for a total transaction of $86,927.90. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Catalyst Pharmaceuticals news, CEO Richard J. Daly sold 17,323 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.97, for a total value of $276,648.31. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 234,824 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,750,139.28. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Molly Harper sold 5,333 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.30, for a total transaction of $86,927.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 110,197 shares of company stock valued at $1,777,560. Insiders own 11.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Catalyst Pharmaceuticals

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Boston Partners lifted its position in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 965.2% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,541,660 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $25,610,000 after purchasing an additional 1,396,930 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in the 1st quarter worth about $805,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in the 1st quarter worth about $954,000. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 64.3% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 83,360 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,329,000 after purchasing an additional 32,621 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,046,487 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $82,373,000 after purchasing an additional 174,739 shares during the period. 79.22% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing and commercializing therapies for people with rare debilitating, chronic neuromuscular, and neurological diseases in the United States. It offers Firdapse, an amifampridine phosphate tablets for the treatment of patients with lambert-eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS); and Ruzurgi for the treatment of pediatric LEMS patients.