Verastem (NASDAQ:VSTM) Rating Lowered to Sell at StockNews.com

Verastem (NASDAQ:VSTM - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a note issued to investors on Friday.

VSTM has been the subject of a number of other reports. BTIG Research boosted their target price on shares of Verastem from $13.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 31st. Mizuho lowered their price target on Verastem from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Verastem in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $15.00 price target for the company. Guggenheim boosted their target price on Verastem from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, B. Riley increased their price target on Verastem from $7.00 to $9.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Verastem currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $13.89.

Verastem Stock Performance

NASDAQ VSTM traded up $0.30 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $7.34. The company's stock had a trading volume of 764,879 shares, compared to its average volume of 984,483. The company has a current ratio of 3.23, a quick ratio of 3.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.77. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $5.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $5.10. Verastem has a 52 week low of $2.10 and a 52 week high of $13.52. The stock has a market cap of $377.94 million, a PE ratio of -2.30 and a beta of 0.57.

Verastem (NASDAQ:VSTM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 20th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.33) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.76) by ($0.57). Equities research analysts predict that Verastem will post -3.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verastem

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VSTM. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Verastem by 46.3% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 103,601 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $310,000 after acquiring an additional 32,791 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC acquired a new stake in Verastem during the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Verastem by 62.3% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 30,339 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $91,000 after purchasing an additional 11,642 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Verastem by 18.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 424,264 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,269,000 after buying an additional 65,265 shares during the period. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Verastem during the third quarter valued at $112,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.37% of the company's stock.

Verastem Company Profile

Verastem, Inc, a development-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing and commercializing drugs for the treatment of cancer in the United States. Its product candidates are Avutometinib, an orally available small molecule RAF/MEK clamp that inhibits the ras sarcoma RAF/MEK, ERK mitogen activated pathway kinase pathway which is involved in cell proliferation, migration, transformation, and survival of tumor cells; and Defactinib, an oral small molecule inhibitor of FAK and proline-rich tyrosine kinase for various solid tumors.