Insider Selling: Vanda Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VNDA) CFO Sells 42,442 Shares of Stock

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VNDA) CFO Kevin Patrick Moran sold 42,442 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.27, for a total transaction of $350,995.34. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 411,380 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,402,112.60. This trade represents a 9.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 4.6%

Shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals stock traded up $0.36 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $8.20. 1,262,325 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,505,636. Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. has a 12 month low of $3.81 and a 12 month high of $9.60. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $7.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $5.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 2.39 and a quick ratio of 2.38.

Vanda Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VNDA) 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 analysts’ expectations of $59.28 million. Vanda Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 102.02% and a negative return on equity of 23.85%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. will post -1.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vanda Pharmaceuticals

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of VNDA. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals by 34.3% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 55,713 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $256,000 after purchasing an additional 14,232 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in Vanda Pharmaceuticals by 220.0% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 2,139,591 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $9,821,000 after buying an additional 1,470,898 shares during the period. CWM LLC grew its stake in shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals by 424.6% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 9,359 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 7,575 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals by 17.8% in the second quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 44,696 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $211,000 after buying an additional 6,765 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,691,638 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $7,986,000 after acquiring an additional 77,997 shares during the last quarter. 88.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Vanda Pharmaceuticals

Here are the key news stories impacting Vanda Pharmaceuticals this week:

• Positive Sentiment: FDA grants a formal evidentiary public hearing for Vanda’s sNDA for HETLIOZ (tasimelteon) in jet lag disorder — described as a landmark action and the first drug approval hearing in over 40 years. This raises the chance for public review and could materially affect approval timing and outcome. PR Newswire
• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright maintains a Buy view with a $24 price target and issued updated quarterly EPS forecasts for FY2027 (Q1–Q4 estimates provided). The firm’s constructive outlook and high price target support upside sentiment despite near-term losses. MarketBeat VNDA
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical/volume and valuation context — the stock is trading above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, market cap is roughly $485M and the company remains loss-making (negative P/E). Current intraday volume is below the 3-month average, which may mute short-term moves. MarketBeat VNDA
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling: CEO Mihael Polymeropoulos, CFO Kevin Moran, CMO Joakim Wijkstrom and two SVPs (Gunther Birznieks and Timothy Williams) each sold large blocks on March 2 (each sale ~30k–156k shares, representing single-digit percentage reductions in their holdings). Multiple high-level executive sales can be perceived negatively by investors and may pressure sentiment even if sales are for diversification or tax reasons. Relevant SEC filings: CEO (Read More.), CFO (Read More.), CMO (Read More.), SVP Gunther Birznieks (Read More.), SVP Timothy Williams (Read More.).

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals from $5.00 to $7.50 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 31st. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday, January 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Vanda Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Finally, B. Riley Financial lifted their target price on Vanda Pharmaceuticals from $11.00 to $14.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 31st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $14.13.

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.