Ironwood Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IRWD) Trading Up 5.8% – Time to Buy?

Shares of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IRWD) traded up 5.8% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $4.64 and last traded at $4.6350. Approximately 1,304,692 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 62% from the average session volume of 3,450,512 shares. The stock had previously closed at $4.38.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on IRWD. Wall Street Zen upgraded Ironwood Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, May 17th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned 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 company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $6.23.

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average price of $3.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $3.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $744.37 million, a P/E ratio of 7.61 and a beta of 0.20.

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IRWD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The biotechnology company reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by ($0.01). Ironwood Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 28.26% and a negative return on equity of 39.65%. The company had revenue of $106.51 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $92.11 million. Equities analysts predict that Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post 1.04 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ironwood Pharmaceuticals

In related news, Director Julie Mchugh sold 21,571 shares of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.73, for a total transaction of $80,459.83. Following the transaction, the director owned 250,749 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $935,293.77. This trade represents a 7.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 9.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ironwood Pharmaceuticals

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of IRWD. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals by 21.4% in the 3rd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 19,295 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 3,406 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in Ironwood Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Captrust Financial Advisors acquired a new position in Ironwood Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth about $35,000.

About Ironwood Pharmaceuticals

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc is a commercial‐stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of medicines for gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. The company’s flagship product is linaclotide, marketed under the brand name LINZESS in the United States for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) and chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC). Through a strategic collaboration with Allergan (now part of AbbVie), Ironwood also commercializes linaclotide in select ex-U.S.