Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Sells 160,000 Shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. $VNDA

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs reduced its stake in Vanda Pharmaceuticals by 88.9%, selling 160,000 shares and ending the quarter with 20,000 shares valued at about $176,000.
• Vanda's latest quarter missed expectations — EPS of ($0.82) vs. ($0.69) expected and revenue of $51.72M vs. $54.98M — leaving the company with negative margins and analysts forecasting further losses for the year.
• Market sentiment is mixed: consensus is a “Moderate Buy” (average target $14.90; 5 Buys, 2 Holds, 1 Sell), while insiders sold 314,342 shares (~$2.58M) in the past 90 days and institutional investors own ~88.14% of the stock.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lessened its stake in shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VNDA - Free Report) by 88.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 160,000 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH's holdings in Vanda Pharmaceuticals were worth $176,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in Vanda Pharmaceuticals by 456.6% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 6,495 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 5,328 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in Vanda Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $53,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Vanda Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at $95,000. Boothbay Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in Vanda Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at $72,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Vanda Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter valued at $69,000. Institutional investors own 88.14% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Truist Financial assumed coverage on Vanda Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. They set a "buy" rating and a $18.00 target price on the stock. HC Wainwright increased their target price on Vanda Pharmaceuticals from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Vanda Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Vanda Pharmaceuticals from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $14.90.

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

VNDA stock opened at $7.44 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $447.40 million, a P/E ratio of -1.99 and a beta of 0.65. Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. has a 1 year low of $3.81 and a 1 year high of $9.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 2.39 and a quick ratio of 2.38. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $7.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $6.79.

Vanda Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VNDA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.82) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.69) by ($0.13). The firm had revenue of $51.72 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $54.98 million. Vanda Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 23.85% and a negative net margin of 102.02%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. will post -2.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Vanda Pharmaceuticals

In related news, CMO Joakim Wijkstrom sold 30,800 shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.27, for a total transaction of $254,716.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 333,469 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,757,788.63. The trade was a 8.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Kevin Patrick Moran sold 42,442 shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.27, for a total value of $350,995.34. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 411,380 shares in the company, valued at $3,402,112.60. This trade represents a 9.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 314,342 shares of company stock valued at $2,583,985 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 10.00% of the company's stock.

About Vanda Pharmaceuticals

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapies for central nervous system (CNS) disorders and rare diseases. The company's research and development efforts center on sleep-wake regulation, mood disorders, and movement disorders. Vanda's mission is to address unmet medical needs by advancing novel molecules through clinical trials and regulatory review.

Vanda's flagship commercial product is Hetlioz (tasimelteon), a melatonin receptor agonist approved by the U.S.

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