Amphastar Pharma (AMPH) Stock Skyrockets 89% YTD: Here's Why
In the year-to-date period, shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals AMPH have shot up 89.1% compared with the industry’s 32.4% climb. The encouraging bull run of the stock price can be associated mainly with two events that have occurred in 2023 so far. The first event is the FDA approval of Amphastar’s naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray 4mg and the second is the acquisition of Baqsimi from Eli Lilly & Co. LLY.
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In June 2023, AMPH completed the acquisition of Baqsimi from Lilly for an upfront payment of $500 million and is required to pay $125 million on the completion of one year from the day of the closing of the acquisition. Amphastar is also liable to pay additional contingent consideration of up to $450 million to Lilly based on the achievement of certain milestones.
Lilly’s Baqsimi is a dry nasal spray to treat very low blood sugar in people with diabetes aged four years and above.
The acquisition deal provided Amphastar with a commercial-stage product with growing sales and a strong gross margin. The company was able to expand its market share in 26 countries upon gaining commercial rights to Baqsimi.
Baqsimi is expected to start contributing to Amphastar’s revenues in the third quarter of 2023.
In March 2023, AMPH also gained FDA approval for its new drug application for naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray 4mg, which utilizes the company’s proprietary nasal delivery device. Naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray 4mg is approved as an emergency treatment for known or suspected opioid overdose, as observed in respiratory and/or central nervous system depression for adult and pediatric patients.
The company’s pipeline also comprises several generic and biosimilar products in review or under development that target a huge market.
Amphastar’s commercial portfolio is divided into two segments — Finished Pharmaceutical Products and Active Pharmaceutical ingredients (API). Under the Finished Pharmaceutical Products segment, the company markets seven products, such as Glucagon, Primatene Mist, Epinephrine, Lidocaine, Enoxaparin, Phytonadione and Naloxone. This segment also includes newer products like ganirelix and vasopressin, which were launched in 2022.
Earlier this month, Amphastar reported its second-quarter 2023 financial results, which exceeded investors’ expectations. In the reported quarter, the company reported adjusted non-GAAP earnings of 65 cents per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 57 cents per share. AMPH reported adjusted non-GAAP earnings of 39 cents per share in the year-ago quarter.
The company reported total revenues of $146 million during the second quarter of 2023, which also surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $137 million. AMPH reported total revenues of $124 million in the year-ago quarter.
Amphastar’s Finished Pharmaceutical Products segment accounted for about 98% of the total revenues clocked in the reported quarter. Sales in this segment were mainly driven by the higher sales volume of its products like Glucagon, Phytonadione and other finished pharmaceutical products.
The company’s API business generated $2.8 million in revenues, down about 15% from the year-ago quarter’s figure of $3.3 million.
These factors, together, are likely to have contributed to the positive stock price movement of AMPH in the year-to-date period.
Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Price and Consensus
Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Quote
Zacks Rank and Other Stocks to Consider
Amphastar currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
A couple of other top-ranked stocks in the pharma/biotech sector are J&J JNJ and Corcept Therapeutics CORT, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present.
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
In the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for J&J’s 2023 earnings per share has increased from $10.67 to $10.75. During the same period, the estimate for JNJ’s 2024 earnings per share has increased from $11.01 to $11.29. Year to date, shares of JNJ have lost 1.5%.
JNJ beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average earnings surprise of 5.58%.
In the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Corcept has gone up from earnings of 66 cents per share to 78 cents for 2023. The bottom-line estimate has also improved from 64 cents to 83 cents for 2024 during the same time frame. Shares of the company have rallied 50.2% year to date.
CORT’s earnings beat estimates in two of the trailing four quarters and missed the mark in the other two, delivering an average surprise of 6.99%.
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