Verastem (NASDAQ:VSTM) Earns "Buy" Rating from BTIG Research

Key Points

• BTIG Research reiterated a Buy on Verastem with a $19.00 price target — implying about a 254.8% upside — and MarketBeat shows a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $16.60 (2 Strong Buy, 5 Buy, 1 Hold, 1 Sell).
• Shares traded at $5.36 on Friday (market cap ≈ $470M), the company has a negative P/E, a 52‑week range of $4.01–$11.24, and its 50‑day SMA ($5.81) sits below the 200‑day SMA ($7.54), reflecting recent weakness.
• Insiders sold shares in January (CEO and CFO transactions; 16,330 shares totaling ~$116K last quarter), while institutional investors hold roughly 88.37% of the stock.

Verastem (NASDAQ:VSTM - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating reiterated by stock analysts at BTIG Research in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $19.00 price target on the biopharmaceutical company's stock. BTIG Research's price target indicates a potential upside of 254.81% from the company's previous close.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on VSTM. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed 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. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Verastem in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Verastem from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Verastem in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Finally, Mizuho set a $18.00 price target on shares of Verastem in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $16.60.

Verastem Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ VSTM traded down $0.24 during trading on Friday, hitting $5.36. The company had a trading volume of 709,257 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,926,740. The firm has a market capitalization of $470.36 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.67 and a beta of 0.43. Verastem has a fifty-two week low of $4.01 and a fifty-two week high of $11.24. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $5.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $7.54. The company has a quick ratio of 3.07, a current ratio of 3.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33.

Verastem (NASDAQ:VSTM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.50) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.49) by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $17.54 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.85 million. On average, research analysts expect that Verastem will post -3.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Daniel Calkins sold 5,039 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.16, for a total value of $36,079.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 104,719 shares in the company, valued at $749,788.04. This trade represents a 4.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dan Paterson sold 10,321 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.16, for a total transaction of $73,898.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 400,104 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,864,744.64. This represents a 2.51% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 16,330 shares of company stock valued at $116,467. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Verastem

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VSTM. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in Verastem by 182.9% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,578 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 2,960 shares in the last quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Verastem during the second quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Nebula Research & Development LLC acquired a new position in Verastem during the second quarter valued at approximately $53,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in Verastem by 9.8% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 16,188 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 1,440 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in Verastem by 110.9% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 8,550 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 4,496 shares in the last quarter. 88.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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