Truist Financial Begins Coverage on Vanda Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VNDA)

Equities researchers at Truist Financial started coverage on shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VNDA) in a report released on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage set a “buy” rating and a $18.00 price target on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock. Truist Financial’s price target points to a potential upside of 119.51% from the stock’s current price.

VNDA has been the subject of several other research reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Vanda Pharmaceuticals from $5.00 to $7.50 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 31st. Zacks Research lowered Vanda Pharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, B. Riley Financial upped their price objective on Vanda Pharmaceuticals from $11.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 31st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $14.90.

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 4.6%

Shares of NASDAQ VNDA opened at $8.20 on Thursday. Vanda Pharmaceuticals has a twelve month low of $3.81 and a twelve month high of $9.60. The firm has a market cap of $484.70 million, a PE ratio of -2.20 and a beta of 0.55. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $7.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $5.97. The company has a quick ratio of 2.38, a current ratio of 2.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Vanda Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VNDA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($2.39) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($2.18) by ($0.21). Vanda Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 102.02% and a negative return on equity of 23.85%. The firm had revenue of $57.22 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $59.28 million. Analysts expect that Vanda Pharmaceuticals will post -1.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Gunther Birznieks sold 42,431 shares of the company’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 $350,904.37. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 494,197 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,087,009.19. This represents a 7.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CMO Joakim Wijkstrom sold 30,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.27, for a total value of $254,716.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 333,469 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,757,788.63. This represents a 8.46% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 314,342 shares of company stock worth $2,583,985 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 10.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vanda Pharmaceuticals

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in Vanda Pharmaceuticals by 456.6% in the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 6,495 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 5,328 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its position in Vanda Pharmaceuticals by 424.6% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 9,359 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 7,575 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in Vanda Pharmaceuticals by 3,010.5% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 10,389 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $92,000 after acquiring an additional 10,055 shares during the period. Finally, Jain Global LLC purchased a new stake in Vanda Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at about $94,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.14% of the company’s stock.

Vanda Pharmaceuticals News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: FDA grants a formal evidentiary public hearing to review CDER’s proposed refusal to approve Vanda’s sNDA for HETLIOZ in jet lag disorder — a rare, potentially company‑moving procedural win that gives Vanda a public forum to challenge the refusal and could materially change approval odds. Vanda Announces FDA Grants Landmark Hearing for HETLIOZ
• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright published quarterly EPS forecasts for 2027 and reiterated a Buy rating with a $24 price target — a bullish analyst stance that implies significant upside vs. the current share price and may support investor interest. HC Wainwright issues estimates, Buy $24 PT
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple senior executives sold sizable blocks of stock on/around March 2 — including CEO Mihael H. Polymeropoulos (156,235 shares at ~$8.17, ~$1.28M), CFO Kevin Moran (42,442 shares at ~$8.27), SVPs and the CMO (each sold ~30k–42k shares) — collectively roughly $2.6M of disclosed insider sales and single‑digit percentage reductions in their holdings. Large, coordinated insider sales typically create near‑term selling pressure and can be perceived negatively by investors. Vanda’s Top Brass Quietly Unload a Wave of Shares
• Negative Sentiment: SEC filings disclose the individual insider trades (CEO filing available) — confirms the transactions and provides exact sizes/prices for investor review. These formal filings make the sales official and may reinforce negative market reaction while investors digest motives (tax planning, diversification, or signal). SEC filing — CEO ownership disclosure

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

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.