Verastem, Inc. (NASDAQ:VSTM) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts have an average rating of Moderate Buy on Verastem from nine brokerages (1 sell, 1 hold, 5 buy, 2 strong buy), with an average 1‑year price target of $16.60.
• Shares opened at $6.23 (market cap $547M); Verastem reported Q4 EPS of ($0.50) vs. ($0.49) expected and revenue of $17.54M vs. $16.85M expected, while analysts forecast a -1.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.
• Institutional investors own about 88.37% of the stock, with several firms (including Russell Investments and BNP Paribas) recently adding or initiating positions.

Verastem, Inc. (NASDAQ:VSTM - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the nine brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $16.60.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on VSTM shares. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Verastem in a research note on Monday. Mizuho set a $18.00 target price on Verastem in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating on shares of Verastem in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $15.00 target price (down from $19.00) on shares of Verastem in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and set a $18.00 target price on shares of Verastem in a research note on Friday, April 10th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Verastem

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in Verastem by 182.9% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,578 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 2,960 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in Verastem by 110.9% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 8,550 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 4,496 shares during the last quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Verastem in the 2nd quarter valued at $49,000. DRW Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Verastem in the 4th quarter valued at $93,000. Finally, Nebula Research & Development LLC bought a new position in shares of Verastem in the 2nd quarter valued at $53,000. 88.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Verastem Trading Up 2.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:VSTM opened at $6.23 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $547.24 million, a P/E ratio of -1.95 and a beta of 0.43. Verastem has a 1 year low of $4.01 and a 1 year high of $11.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 3.09 and a quick ratio of 3.07. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $5.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $7.35.

Verastem (NASDAQ:VSTM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.50) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.49) by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $17.54 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.85 million. On average, research analysts anticipate that Verastem will post -1.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Verastem

Verastem Oncology, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of small molecule therapies that target cancer stemness and resistance pathways. Established in 2010 and headquartered in Needham, Massachusetts, Verastem Oncology applies a precision-medicine approach to identify key signaling nodes responsible for tumor growth and relapse, with an emphasis on hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. The company’s research platform integrates insights into complex signaling networks to advance novel compounds from early discovery through clinical proof of concept.

The company’s lead marketed product is COPIKTRA (duvelisib), an oral inhibitor of PI3K-delta and PI3K-gamma, which received U.S.

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