Esperion granted stock options and RSUs to new employees, including Chief Commercial Officer John Harlow, under its incentive plan.
Quiver AI Summary
Esperion announced the grant of stock options and restricted stock units (RSUs) to three new employees, including John Harlow, the newly appointed Chief Commercial Officer, on December 4, 2025. The grants included non-qualified stock options for a total of 380,000 shares at an exercise price of $3.79 per share and 435,536 RSUs, with the majority awarded to Harlow. These awards were made under Esperion's 2017 Inducement Equity Incentive Plan, designed to attract new talent. The stock options and RSUs will vest over time, contingent on continued employment. Esperion is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative medicines for cardiovascular disease, including the only FDA-approved oral, non-statin treatment for patients with elevated LDL cholesterol. The company is advancing its drug development efforts, including new inhibitors targeting ATP citrate lyase.
Potential Positives
- The granting of stock options and restricted stock units to the new Chief Commercial Officer indicates a strategic move to attract and retain top talent, which may enhance the company's leadership and operational success.
- The equity compensation plan reflects Esperion's commitment to aligning employee interests with shareholder value, potentially motivating employees to drive company performance.
- Esperion’s FDA-approved oral medication for cardiovascular disease positions the company uniquely in the market, addressing significant healthcare needs.
- The ongoing development of next-generation ATP citrate lyase inhibitors (ACLYi) showcases Esperion's focus on innovation and commitment to expanding its therapeutic pipeline, enhancing its growth potential.
Potential Negatives
- The substantial issuance of stock options and restricted stock units (RSUs) to a newly appointed executive may raise concerns about executive compensation and its alignment with shareholder interests, potentially leading to negative perceptions among investors.
- The aggressive granting of equity awards to the new Chief Commercial Officer could be interpreted as a sign that the company is incentivizing a turnaround strategy amid possible previous underperformance.
- The press release does not provide details on the company's financial performance or position, which may leave stakeholders questioning the rationale behind granting large amounts of equity in a commercially focused biopharmaceutical firm.
FAQ
What recent stock option grants did Esperion announce?
Esperion granted 380,000 stock options and 435,536 restricted stock units (RSUs) to three new employees, including Chief Commercial Officer, John Harlow.
What is the exercise price for the stock options?
The exercise price for the stock options is $3.79 per share, equal to Esperion's closing stock price on December 4, 2025.
What is the vesting schedule for the options and RSUs?
The options and RSUs vest 25% after one year and the remaining 75% in twelve quarterly installments, contingent on continued employment.
What is the 2017 Inducement Equity Incentive Plan?
This plan is designed for granting equity awards to new employees as an inducement for their employment with Esperion, per NASDAQ rules.
What is Esperion's focus as a biopharmaceutical company?
Esperion focuses on developing and commercializing non-statin medications for cardiovascular disease, supported by the CLEAR Cardiovascular Outcomes Trial.
Disclaimer: This is an AI-generated summary of a press release distributed by GlobeNewswire. The model used to summarize this release may make mistakes. See the full release here.
$ESPR Insider Trading Activity
$ESPR insiders have traded $ESPR stock on the open market 9 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 0 have been purchases and 9 have been sales.
Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $ESPR stock by insiders over the last 6 months:
- SHELDON L. KOENIG (President and CEO) has made 0 purchases and 2 sales selling 58,901 shares for an estimated $113,050.
- BENJAMIN LOOKER (General Counsel) has made 0 purchases and 4 sales selling 15,241 shares for an estimated $29,715.
- BENJAMIN HALLADAY (Chief Financial Officer) has made 0 purchases and 3 sales selling 14,286 shares for an estimated $28,125.
To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard.
$ESPR Hedge Fund Activity
We have seen 106 institutional investors add shares of $ESPR stock to their portfolio, and 82 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.
Here are some of the largest recent moves:
- BELLEVUE GROUP AG removed 9,694,064 shares (-100.0%) from their portfolio in Q2 2025, for an estimated $9,542,836
- NUVEEN, LLC added 3,288,456 shares (+778.1%) to their portfolio in Q3 2025, for an estimated $8,714,408
- WASATCH ADVISORS LP removed 3,278,404 shares (-31.7%) from their portfolio in Q3 2025, for an estimated $8,687,770
- MORGAN STANLEY added 3,000,138 shares (+284.2%) to their portfolio in Q3 2025, for an estimated $7,950,365
- AIGH CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC added 3,000,000 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q3 2025, for an estimated $7,950,000
- INDABA CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, L.P. removed 3,000,000 shares (-100.0%) from their portfolio in Q3 2025, for an estimated $7,950,000
- MARSHALL WACE, LLP removed 2,790,813 shares (-52.5%) from their portfolio in Q3 2025, for an estimated $7,395,654
To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard.
$ESPR Analyst Ratings
Wall Street analysts have issued reports on $ESPR in the last several months. We have seen 2 firms issue buy ratings on the stock, and 0 firms issue sell ratings.
Here are some recent analyst ratings:
- Piper Sandler issued a "Overweight" rating on 11/25/2025
- HC Wainwright & Co. issued a "Buy" rating on 06/17/2025
To track analyst ratings and price targets for $ESPR, check out Quiver Quantitative's $ESPR forecast page.
$ESPR Price Targets
Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $ESPR recently. We have seen 2 analysts offer price targets for $ESPR in the last 6 months, with a median target of $12.5.
Here are some recent targets:
- David Amsellem from Piper Sandler set a target price of $9.0 on 11/25/2025
- Joseph Pantginis from HC Wainwright & Co. set a target price of $16.0 on 09/19/2025
Full Release
ANN ARBOR, Mich., Dec. 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Esperion (NASDAQ: ESPR) today announced that on December 4, 2025, the Company granted three new employees (i) non-qualified stock options to purchase an aggregate of 380,000 shares of common stock, all of which were granted to John Harlow, the Company’s newly appointed Chief Commercial Officer, and (ii) 435,536 restricted stock units (RSUs), 424,536 of which were awarded to Mr. Harlow, under Esperion’s 2017 Inducement Equity Incentive Plan.
The 2017 Inducement Equity Incentive Plan is used exclusively for the grant of equity awards to individuals who were not previously an employee or non-employee director of Esperion (or following a bona fide period of non-employment), as an inducement material to such individual's entering into employment with Esperion, pursuant to Rule 5635(c)(4) of the NASDAQ Listing Rules.
The options have an exercise price of $3.79 per share, which is equal to the closing price of Esperion's common stock on December 4, 2025. Each option and RSU will vest and become exercisable as to 25 percent of the shares on the one-year anniversary of the recipient’s vesting commencement date and will vest and become exercisable as to the remaining 75 percent of the shares in twelve equal quarterly installments at the end of each quarter following such anniversary, in each case, subject to each such employee's continued employment with Esperion on such vesting dates. The options and RSUs are subject to the terms and conditions of Esperion’s 2017 Inducement Equity Incentive Plan, and the terms and conditions of the option and RSU agreements covering the grant.
Esperion Therapeutics
Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. is a commercial stage biopharmaceutical company focused on bringing new medicines to market that address unmet needs of patients and healthcare professionals. The Company developed and is commercializing the only U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved oral, once-daily, non-statin medicines for patients who are at risk for cardiovascular disease and are struggling with elevated low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). These medications are supported by the nearly 14,000 patient CLEAR Cardiovascular Outcomes Trial. Esperion continues to build on its success with its next generation program which is focused on developing ATP citrate lyase inhibitors (ACLYi). New insights into the structure and function of ACLYi fully enables rational drug design and the opportunity to develop highly potent and specific inhibitors with allosteric mechanisms.
Esperion continues to evolve into a leading global biopharmaceutical company through commercial execution, international partnerships and collaborations and advancement of its pre-clinical pipeline. For more information, visit esperion.com and follow Esperion on LinkedIn and X .
Esperion Contact Information:
Investors:
Alina Venezia
[email protected]
(734) 887-3903
Media:
Tiffany Aldrich
[email protected]
(616) 443-8438
