Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Takes $875,000 Position in Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VNDA)

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH has acquired 190,536 shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc., valued at approximately $875,000, during the 1st quarter. This acquisition represents about 0.32% ownership in the company.
• Wall Street analysts have varying views on Vanda Pharmaceuticals, with HC Wainwright rating it as a "buy" with a target of $20, while Wall Street Zen downgraded it to a "strong sell."
• Vanda Pharmaceuticals reported an earnings miss in its latest quarterly results, with an EPS of ($0.46), and is anticipated to post -1.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VNDA - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 190,536 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock, valued at approximately $875,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.32% of Vanda Pharmaceuticals at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bailard Inc. purchased a new position in Vanda Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter valued at about $103,000. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Vanda Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter valued at about $49,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals by 12.7% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 348,846 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,671,000 after buying an additional 39,195 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth about $240,000. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals by 186.4% during the fourth quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 71,131 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $341,000 after buying an additional 46,293 shares in the last quarter. 88.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on VNDA. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $13.00 price target on shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $20.00 price target on shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Saturday.

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of VNDA traded up $0.08 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $4.27. The company had a trading volume of 437,104 shares, compared to its average volume of 576,505. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $4.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $4.54. Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. has a 1-year low of $3.81 and a 1-year high of $5.55. The stock has a market cap of $252.02 million, a PE ratio of -3.77 and a beta of 0.72.

Vanda Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VNDA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.46) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.34) by ($0.12). Vanda Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 12.89% and a negative net margin of 32.90%. The company had revenue of $52.59 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $54.77 million. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. will post -1.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Vanda Pharmaceuticals

In related news, CEO Mihael Hristos Polymeropoulos bought 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 21st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $4.40 per share, with a total value of $44,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 2,325,731 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,233,216.40. The trade was a 0.43% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Stephen Ray Mitchell sold 7,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.59, for a total transaction of $32,130.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 97,082 shares in the company, valued at $445,606.38. This represents a 6.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 8.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Vanda Pharmaceuticals

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the development and commercialization of therapies to address high unmet medical needs worldwide. The company's marketed products include HETLIOZ to treat non-24-hour sleep-wake disorders; and Fanapt oral tablets for the treatment of schizophrenia.