Verastem, Inc. (NASDAQ:VSTM) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Verastem, Inc. (NASDAQ:VSTM) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the ten ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has assigned a hold recommendation, six have issued a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $14.2857.

Several research firms have issued reports on VSTM. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $20.00 price target on shares of Verastem in a research report on Tuesday, September 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised Verastem to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Zacks Research downgraded Verastem from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Mizuho set a $15.00 price target on Verastem in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Verastem from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Dan Paterson sold 3,299 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.74, for a total transaction of $32,132.26. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 438,818 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,274,087.32. This trade represents a 0.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul A. Bunn sold 8,333 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.06, for a total value of $75,496.98. Following the sale, the director owned 8,333 shares in the company, valued at $75,496.98. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 12,972 shares of company stock valued at $120,945 over the last three months. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in Verastem by 182.9% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Verastem during the 2nd quarter worth about $49,000. Nebula Research & Development LLC acquired a new position in Verastem during the 2nd quarter valued at about $53,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in Verastem by 9.8% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 16,188 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 1,440 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of Verastem by 110.9% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 8,550 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 4,496 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.37% of the company’s stock.

Verastem Price Performance

Shares of VSTM opened at $9.84 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a current ratio of 2.58 and a quick ratio of 2.55. The company has a market capitalization of $657.12 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.44 and a beta of 0.89. The business’s 50-day moving average is $8.82 and its 200-day moving average is $7.52. Verastem has a fifty-two week low of $3.45 and a fifty-two week high of $11.24.

Verastem (NASDAQ:VSTM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.35) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.51) by ($0.84). The firm had revenue of $11.24 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.76 million. Equities research analysts expect that Verastem will post -3.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Verastem

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.