Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMPH) Short Interest Up 5.3% in September

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMPH - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 4,350,000 shares, an increase of 5.3% from the September 15th total of 4,130,000 shares. Currently, 12.0% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 364,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 11.9 days.

Insider Activity at Amphastar Pharmaceuticals

In related news, EVP Rong Zhou sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.35, for a total value of $193,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 118,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,724,059.80. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Amphastar Pharmaceuticals news, Director Floyd F. Petersen sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.47, for a total value of $139,410.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 75,409 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,504,256.23. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Rong Zhou sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.35, for a total transaction of $193,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 118,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,724,059.80. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 34,383 shares of company stock valued at $1,524,123 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 27.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake 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 in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,710,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new stake in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at about $364,000. Cim LLC raised its holdings in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 7.5% in the 2nd quarter. Cim LLC now owns 10,016 shares of the company's stock valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 701 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at about $388,000. 65.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of AMPH stock traded up $1.52 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $50.83. 283,392 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 399,714. The company has a market cap of $2.49 billion, a PE ratio of 17.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.83. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals has a 52-week low of $36.56 and a 52-week high of $65.92. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $46.76 and a 200 day moving average of $43.03. The company has a quick ratio of 2.63, a current ratio of 3.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $182.39 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $171.29 million. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 23.36% and a return on equity of 29.79%. Research analysts anticipate that Amphastar Pharmaceuticals will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on AMPH. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals from $71.00 to $66.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $63.00.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

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.