Key Points
- Director Molly Harper sold 26,746 CPRX shares on Dec. 12 at an average $23.25 for $621,844.50, leaving her with 2,360 shares — a 91.89% decline in her ownership (disclosed on an SEC Form 4).
- Board approved a $200 million share buyback that permits repurchasing up to about 8.3% of outstanding shares, a move that typically signals the board views the stock as undervalued.
- Analysts carry a consensus Buy rating with an average target of $32.67; the company has a $2.97 billion market cap, a trailing P/E of 14.06, and a 12‑month range of $19.05–$26.58.
Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:CPRX - Get Free Report) Director Molly Harper sold 26,746 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.25, for a total transaction of $621,844.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,360 shares in the company, valued at $54,870. This represents a 91.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.
Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 0.0%
Shares of NASDAQ:CPRX opened at $24.19 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.97 billion, a PE ratio of 14.06, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.69. Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $19.05 and a twelve month high of $26.58. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $22.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $21.59.
Catalyst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:CPRX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, September 25th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter. Catalyst Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 37.63% and a return on equity of 39.24%. The firm had revenue of $53.11 million for the quarter. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post 1.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Catalyst Pharmaceuticals announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, October 1st that permits the company to buyback $200.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the biopharmaceutical company to reacquire up to 8.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Catalyst Pharmaceuticals
Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Deerfield Management Company L.P. raised its position in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 72.8% during the 3rd quarter. Deerfield Management Company L.P. now owns 4,974,767 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $98,003,000 after buying an additional 2,095,291 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 233.9% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,757,988 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $38,148,000 after acquiring an additional 1,231,419 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals during the first quarter worth about $17,185,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 963.5% during the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 724,091 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $17,559,000 after purchasing an additional 656,004 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fundsmith LLP lifted its position in Catalyst Pharmaceuticals by 24.2% in the third quarter. Fundsmith LLP now owns 3,363,807 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $66,267,000 after purchasing an additional 654,721 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.22% of the company's stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings raised Catalyst Pharmaceuticals from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Zacks Research cut Catalyst Pharmaceuticals from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 19th. Oppenheimer restated an "outperform" rating and set a $33.00 target price on shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, November 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $32.67.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on CPRX
Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Company Profile
(
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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.
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