Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IRWD) Stock Rated "Moderate Buy" by Sell-Side Brokerages

Key Points

• Ironwood Pharmaceuticals has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating from seven analysts: four hold ratings, two buys, and one strong buy. The average 12-month price target is $6.23, compared with a recent share price of $3.76.
• Institutional interest increased substantially, with Arrowstreet Capital expanding its position by 724.5% and Dimensional Fund Advisors increasing its holdings by 529.3% during the first quarter.
• Ironwood’s latest quarterly results slightly missed expectations, reporting $0.31 in earnings per share versus $0.32 forecast and revenue of $113.04 million versus $114.84 million expected.

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IRWD - Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seven research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $6.23.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, September 5th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Thursday.

Institutional Trading of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in Ironwood Pharmaceuticals by 724.5% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,397,242 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $11,924,000 after acquiring an additional 2,985,181 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals by 529.3% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,082,055 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $7,307,000 after acquiring an additional 1,751,219 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals by 6.9% in the 1st quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,236,628 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $4,341,000 after acquiring an additional 80,250 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter worth approximately $3,982,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in shares of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals by 10.2% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 742,548 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $2,606,000 after purchasing an additional 68,686 shares during the period.

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $3.76 on Tuesday. Ironwood Pharmaceuticals has a one year low of $1.41 and a one year high of $5.78. The company has a market cap of $621.30 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.88 and a beta of 0.21. The business's 50 day moving average price is $4.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $3.96.

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IRWD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The biotechnology company reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by ($0.01). Ironwood Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 58.38% and a net margin of 33.36%. The company had revenue of $113.04 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $114.84 million. On average, analysts predict that Ironwood Pharmaceuticals will post 1.10 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc is a gastrointestinal-focused biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, and commercializes medicines for gastrointestinal diseases. The company concentrates on conditions affecting the digestive system, including disorders with substantial unmet medical needs.

Ironwood's principal commercial product is LINZESS (linaclotide), a prescription treatment for adults with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation and chronic idiopathic constipation. In the United States, LINZESS is marketed through a collaboration with AbbVie, while it is marketed in many international markets under the name CONSTELLA through a collaboration with the healthcare business of AstraZeneca and other regional partners.

Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Ironwood has expanded its development activities through internal research, partnerships, and acquisitions.

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