Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMPH) Short Interest Up 10.3% in December

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMPH - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,820,000 shares, a growth of 10.3% from the December 15th total of 4,370,000 shares. Approximately 13.5% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 476,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 10.1 days.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals stock traded up $0.04 during trading on Friday, reaching $35.70. The company's stock had a trading volume of 410,479 shares, compared to its average volume of 621,908. The firm has a market cap of $1.72 billion, a PE ratio of 11.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $41.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $44.08. The company has a current ratio of 3.43, a quick ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals has a fifty-two week low of $34.60 and a fifty-two week high of $56.88.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $55.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com cut shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Amphastar Pharmaceuticals presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $60.33.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Richard K. Prins sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.80, for a total value of $244,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 31,471 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,535,784.80. This represents a 13.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO William J. Peters sold 7,426 shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.05, for a total value of $386,523.30. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 94,103 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,898,061.15. This trade represents a 7.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 41,533 shares of company stock worth $1,987,482. 27.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Amphastar Pharmaceuticals

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 70.0% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 663 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 273 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 53.4% in the third quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 1,144 shares of the company's stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 398 shares in the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth about $78,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 20.6% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 1,761 shares of the company's stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares in the last quarter. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC lifted its position in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 18.2% in the third quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 2,600 shares of the company's stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.09% of the company's stock.

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.