Ironwood Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IRWD) Stock Rating Raised to "Strong-Buy" at Wall Street Zen

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IRWD - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report issued on Sunday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on IRWD. Zacks Research lowered shares of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $6.23.

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals stock traded down $0.02 during trading on Friday, hitting $4.83. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,806,639 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,389,865. The stock's fifty day moving average is $3.97 and its 200 day moving average is $3.96. Ironwood Pharmaceuticals has a 1-year low of $2.95 and a 1-year high of $5.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $799.61 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.37 and a beta of 0.25.

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IRWD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The biotechnology company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.04. Ironwood Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 81.40% and a net margin of 37.38%. The firm had revenue of $133.04 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $119.99 million. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ironwood Pharmaceuticals will post 1.10 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ironwood Pharmaceuticals

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its stake in shares of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals by 724.5% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,397,242 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $11,924,000 after purchasing an additional 2,985,181 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Ironwood Pharmaceuticals by 529.3% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,082,055 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $7,307,000 after purchasing an additional 1,751,219 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Ironwood Pharmaceuticals in the first quarter valued at approximately $3,982,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its holdings in Ironwood Pharmaceuticals by 130.8% in the third quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 831,091 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $3,299,000 after buying an additional 470,997 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in Ironwood Pharmaceuticals by 10.2% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 742,548 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $2,606,000 after buying an additional 68,686 shares during the period.

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals is a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing treatments for gastrointestinal diseases. Founded in 1998, the company is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Its principal product is LINZESS (linaclotide), a prescription medicine for adults with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation and chronic idiopathic constipation. Ironwood and AbbVie collaborate on the product's U.S. commercialization, while licensing partners make linaclotide available in other markets under regional brand names.

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