Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VNDA) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst consensus: Eight brokers rate Vanda a "Moderate Buy" (5 buys, 2 holds, 1 sell) with a 12‑month average target of $14.90.
• Insider selling: Executives sold 314,342 shares (~$2.58M) in the past three months — including large March sales by the CMO and SVP — while corporate insiders currently own 8.90% of the stock.
• Quarterly miss: Vanda reported a ($2.39) EPS loss versus a ($2.18) consensus and revenue of $57.2M below the $59.3M estimate, with a deeply negative net margin and ROE.

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

Several brokerages recently issued reports on VNDA. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, HC Wainwright boosted their target price on shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd.

Insider Activity at Vanda Pharmaceuticals

In other Vanda Pharmaceuticals news, CMO Joakim Wijkstrom sold 30,800 shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.27, for a total transaction of $254,716.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 333,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,757,788.63. The trade was a 8.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Timothy Williams sold 42,434 shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.27, for a total transaction of $350,929.18. Following the transaction, 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 314,342 shares of company stock valued at $2,583,985 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 8.90% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vanda Pharmaceuticals

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in Vanda Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its holdings in Vanda Pharmaceuticals by 8.8% during the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 38,855 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $261,000 after purchasing an additional 3,144 shares in the last quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Vanda Pharmaceuticals by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 118,987 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,049,000 after purchasing an additional 3,928 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its holdings in Vanda Pharmaceuticals by 6.1% during the second quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 79,107 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $373,000 after purchasing an additional 4,533 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Savant Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Vanda Pharmaceuticals by 30.3% during the third quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 22,493 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $112,000 after purchasing an additional 5,229 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.14% of the company's stock.

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of VNDA stock opened at $7.56 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $7.58 and a 200-day moving average price of $6.76. The company has a quick ratio of 2.38, a current ratio of 2.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $454.58 million, a PE ratio of -2.03 and a beta of 0.65. Vanda Pharmaceuticals has a 52 week low of $3.81 and a 52 week high of $9.94.

Vanda Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VNDA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($2.39) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($2.18) by ($0.21). The business had revenue of $57.22 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $59.28 million. Vanda Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 102.02% and a negative return on equity of 23.85%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Vanda Pharmaceuticals will post -2.18 earnings per share for the current year.

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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