Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VNDA) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts assign Vanda a consensus "Moderate Buy" — eight analysts cover the stock (1 sell, 2 hold, 5 buy) with an average 12‑month target of $14.90 and divergent notes ranging from HC Wainwright's $24 target to recent sell downgrades.
• Vanda reported a quarterly EPS loss of ($2.39), missed revenue and earnings estimates, has a negative net margin (~102%), and the stock trades around $7.33 with a one‑year range of $3.81–$9.94 and a market cap of about $433M.
• Insiders sold roughly 314,342 shares (~$2.58M) last quarter—including CEO and SVP sales on March 2—while institutional and hedge fund ownership stands at about 88%.

Shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VNDA - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eight analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $14.90.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on VNDA shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Vanda Pharmaceuticals from $5.00 to $7.50 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered Vanda Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Finally, HC Wainwright increased their price target on Vanda Pharmaceuticals from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd.

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

VNDA stock opened at $7.33 on Friday. Vanda Pharmaceuticals has a 1 year low of $3.81 and a 1 year high of $9.94. The firm has a market cap of $433.26 million, a P/E ratio of -1.97 and a beta of 0.71. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $7.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $6.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a current ratio of 2.39.

Vanda Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VNDA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($2.39) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($2.18) by ($0.21). Vanda Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 23.85% and a negative net margin of 102.02%.The business had revenue of $57.22 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $59.28 million. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Vanda Pharmaceuticals will post -1.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Vanda Pharmaceuticals

In other news, SVP Timothy Williams sold 42,434 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.27, for a total transaction of $350,929.18. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 377,450 shares in the company, valued at $3,121,511.50. This represents a 10.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Mihael Hristos Polymeropoulos sold 156,235 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.17, for a total value of $1,276,439.95. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 2,704,496 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,095,732.32. The trade was a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 314,342 shares of company stock worth $2,583,985. Company insiders own 10.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Vanda Pharmaceuticals

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals by 8,629.9% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 29,158 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $257,000 after buying an additional 28,824 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its holdings in shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals by 51.2% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 43,829 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $387,000 after buying an additional 14,836 shares during the last quarter. Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals by 35.1% during the 4th quarter. Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC now owns 150,427 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,327,000 after buying an additional 39,087 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $601,000. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $521,000. 88.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

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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