Short Interest in ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ANIP) Rises By 27.7%

ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ANIP - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,350,000 shares, a growth of 27.7% from the November 30th total of 1,840,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 253,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 9.3 days.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Nikhil Lalwani sold 33,481 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.99, for a total value of $1,941,563.19. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 370,378 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,478,220.22. This represents a 8.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Krista Davis sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total transaction of $60,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 49,059 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,943,540. This trade represents a 2.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 42,231 shares of company stock valued at $2,434,286 in the last three months. Company insiders own 12.70% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ANI Pharmaceuticals

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ANIP. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its position in shares of ANI Pharmaceuticals by 24.2% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 2,971 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company's stock worth $177,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in ANI Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter worth about $207,000. HighTower Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of ANI Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $222,000. Profund Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of ANI Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $225,000. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of ANI Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter valued at approximately $228,000. Institutional investors own 76.05% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on shares of ANI Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, October 11th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $68.00 price target for the company. Leerink Partnrs upgraded ANI Pharmaceuticals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Leerink Partners started coverage on ANI Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $80.00 price objective for the company. Raymond James increased their price target on shares of ANI Pharmaceuticals from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $94.00 target price on shares of ANI Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $77.71.

ANI Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 2.0 %

ANIP stock traded down $1.09 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $54.41. The company had a trading volume of 248,946 shares, compared to its average volume of 225,082. The company has a current ratio of 2.74, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. ANI Pharmaceuticals has a 52 week low of $52.50 and a 52 week high of $70.81. The stock has a market cap of $1.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -98.93 and a beta of 0.73. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $57.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.56.

ANI Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ANIP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 8th. The specialty pharmaceutical company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $148.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $144.37 million. ANI Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 1.28% and a positive return on equity of 15.87%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.05 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that ANI Pharmaceuticals will post 3.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About ANI Pharmaceuticals

ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company, develops, manufactures, and markets branded and generic prescription pharmaceuticals in the United States and Canada. The company manufactures oral solid dose products; semi-solids, liquids, and topicals; controlled substances; and potent products, as well as performs contract development and manufacturing of pharmaceutical products.