Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AMPH) Shares Gap Down on Analyst Downgrade

27 Feb 2026, 11:18 by Scott Moore · The Cerbat Gem

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMPH – Get Free Report)’s stock price gapped down before the market opened on Friday after Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on the stock from $34.00 to $30.00. The stock had previously closed at $26.49, but opened at $22.44. Needham & Company LLC currently has a buy rating on the stock. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals shares last traded at $22.70, with a volume of 410,863 shares.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on AMPH. Zacks Research lowered Amphastar Pharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Barclays began coverage on shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $30.00 target price for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.33.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Amphastar Pharmaceuticals

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Rong Zhou sold 9,787 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.20, for a total transaction of $256,419.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 138,043 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,616,726.60. This trade represents a 6.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Floyd F. Petersen sold 2,426 shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.92, for a total value of $62,881.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 71,368 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,849,858.56. The trade was a 3.29% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 13,950 shares of company stock valued at $363,925 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 27.50% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Amphastar Pharmaceuticals

Here are the key news stories impacting Amphastar Pharmaceuticals this week:

Positive Sentiment: Management outlined mid- to high-single-digit revenue growth for 2026 and announced a new respiratory product launch, which supports medium-term top-line expansion and product diversification. Amphastar outlines mid- to high-single-digit revenue growth for 2026 while launching new respiratory product
Positive Sentiment: Needham lowered its price target from $34 to $30 but kept a “buy” rating, implying continued analyst confidence in upside despite trimming expectations. Benzinga
Neutral Sentiment: Full-year 2025 results showed net revenues of $719.9M and adjusted non-GAAP income of $3.25 per share, providing context that the business remains profitable even as quarterly performance softens. Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Reports Financial Results for the Three Months and Full Year Ended December 31, 2025
Neutral Sentiment: Detailed Q4 earnings call transcript and analyst write-ups are available for investors who want to dig into product-by-product trends and management commentary on the pipeline. These sources help assess whether the miss is cyclical or structural. Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reports posted odd/zero values in recent summaries, which appear to be data anomalies and are unlikely to be a meaningful near-term driver. MarketBeat AMPH
Negative Sentiment: Q4 2025 results missed expectations: adjusted EPS of $0.73 missed consensus (~$0.97) and revenues were below estimates; the earnings miss triggered a sharp intraday decline in the stock. Amphastar Misses Q4 Revenue; Stock Drops

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 2,864.4% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 177,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,760,000 after purchasing an additional 171,748 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 28.7% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 501,404 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,428,000 after purchasing an additional 111,811 shares during the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 10.7% during the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 20,409 shares of the company’s stock worth $547,000 after acquiring an additional 1,978 shares during the period. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,394,463 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,344,000 after purchasing an additional 40,536 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals by 10.8% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 165,907 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,443,000 after buying an additional 16,112 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.09% of the company’s stock.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.10 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 3.12 and a quick ratio of 2.21. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $27.36 and a 200 day moving average of $27.06.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc is a specialty pharmaceutical company headquartered in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Founded in 2004, Amphastar focuses on the development, manufacturing and commercialization of injectable and inhalation products. The company’s manufacturing facilities in California produce both generic and proprietary formulations designed to address urgent and chronic medical conditions.