Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMPH) Shares Purchased by Pacer Advisors Inc.

Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMPH - Free Report) by 51,977.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,350,368 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,347,775 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. owned about 2.81% of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals worth $50,139,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AMPH. KBC Group NV grew its position in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 43.1% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,159 shares of the company's stock worth $80,000 after buying an additional 650 shares during the period. Dakota Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 31.7% in the 4th quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 5,486 shares of the company's stock worth $204,000 after acquiring an additional 1,322 shares during the period. Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its stake in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 27,964 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,038,000 after purchasing an additional 1,379 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 279,714 shares of the company's stock worth $10,386,000 after purchasing an additional 12,851 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth $1,614,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on AMPH shares. StockNews.com cut Amphastar Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, November 22nd. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $55.00 target price for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $60.33.

Insider Transactions at Amphastar Pharmaceuticals

In other Amphastar Pharmaceuticals news, Director Richard K. Prins sold 5,000 shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.80, for a total value of $244,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 31,471 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,535,784.80. The trade was a 13.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Rong Zhou sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.42, for a total value of $310,940.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 118,469 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,262,392.98. This represents a 5.58 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 41,533 shares of company stock worth $1,987,482 over the last ninety days. 27.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals stock traded down $1.49 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $34.88. 435,988 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 565,512. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $39.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $43.94. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $34.60 and a 1 year high of $56.45. The company has a market capitalization of $1.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 2.61 and a current ratio of 3.43.

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.