5 Small-Cap Stocks to Buy According to Australian Billionaire Kerr Neilson

2. Esperion Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR)

Neilson’s Stake Value: $36,234,000

Percentage of Neilson’s 13F Portfolio: 0.83%

Market Cap: $362.518 million 

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 16

Esperion Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) is the second stock on our list of the top 5 small-cap stocks to buy according to Australian billionaire Kerr Neilson. The company develops and markets medical therapies and treatments for lowering elevated lipid levels. Headquartered in Michigan, Esperion Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) has a market cap of $362.518 million.

Neilson’s Platinum Asset Management owns about 1.71 million shares in Esperion Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR), amounting to $36.23 million, and making up 0.83% of Neilson’s 13F portfolio.

At the end of the second quarter of 2021, 16 hedge funds in Insider Monkey’s database held stakes amounting to $98.3 million in Esperion Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR), down from 17 in the previous quarter with stakes worth over $118.8 million.

Out of the hedge funds being tracked by Insider Monkey, Platinum Asset Management is the leading shareholder in Esperion Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR).

Wasatch Micro Cap Value Fund mentioned Esperion Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:ESPR) in its Q4 2020 investor letter. Here is what the fund said: 

“Another significant detractor was Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (ESPR), a developer of oral therapies for people with elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, or “bad cholesterol”). Esperion’s recently approved flagship medications, Nexletol® and Nexlizet,™ are intended to increase the effectiveness of statins and other cholesterol-lowering drugs in high-risk patients. However, sales of these new products have been hampered as patients fearful of contracting Covid19 postponed routine physicals and other non urgent appointments during which the medications might have been prescribed. Given the many challenges involved, uptake of the new drugs has been encouraging in our view. We remain optimistic about Esperion’s long-term prospects and continue to own it in the Fund. Having said that, we’re keeping the position size relatively small because we always take a cautious approach to biotech stocks and we’d ideally like to see the company’s balance sheet in somewhat better condition.”