Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH) Stock Price Up 3.3% – Should You Buy?

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMPH) traded up 3.3% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $32.16 and last traded at $32.33. 64,789 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average session volume of 521,971 shares. The stock had previously closed at $31.28.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AMPH. StockNews.com downgraded Amphastar Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $55.00 price target for the company. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered Amphastar Pharmaceuticals from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $66.00 to $36.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.33.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $1.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.76, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.81. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $35.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $42.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 3.43 and a quick ratio of 2.61.

Insider Activity at Amphastar Pharmaceuticals

In other news, Director Richard K. Prins sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.77, for a total value of $437,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 30,471 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,333,715.67. This represents a 24.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Rong Zhou sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.42, for a total value of $310,940.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 118,469 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,262,392.98. This represents a 5.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 27.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Amphastar Pharmaceuticals

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of AMPH. Aurora Investment Counsel raised its stake in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 0.4% during the third quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel now owns 54,698 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,654,000 after buying an additional 232 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 20.6% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 1,761 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 43.7% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 348 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank increased its stake in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 36.9% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,340 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 361 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can grew its stake in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 8,215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $305,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares in the last quarter. 65.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Amphastar Pharmaceuticals

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a bio-pharmaceutical company, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells generic and proprietary injectable, inhalation, and intranasal products in the United States, China, and France. It offers BAQSIMI, a nasal spray for the treatment of severe hypoglycemia; Primatene Mist, an over-the-counter epinephrine inhalation product for the temporary relief of mild symptoms of intermittent asthma; Enoxaparin, to prevent and treat deep vein thrombosis; REXTOVY and Naloxone for opioid overdose; Glucagon for injection emergency kit; and Cortrosyn, for use as a diagnostic agent in the screening of patients with adrenocortical insufficiency.