Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VNDA) Short Interest Up 23.3% in January

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VNDA) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 2,879,747 shares, a growth of 23.3% from the December 31st total of 2,335,804 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,042,973 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.4 days. Currently, 5.3% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Currently, 5.3% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,042,973 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.4 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vanda Pharmaceuticals

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VNDA. Stonepine Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals by 611.3% during the 2nd quarter. Stonepine Capital Management LLC now owns 250,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,180,000 after purchasing an additional 214,852 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC lifted its position in Vanda Pharmaceuticals by 96.5% in the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 153,345 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $724,000 after buying an additional 75,295 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter valued at about $83,000. Kennedy Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals by 7.7% in the 2nd quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 237,468 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,121,000 after acquiring an additional 17,020 shares during the period. Finally, Savant Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals by 30.3% in the 3rd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 22,493 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $112,000 after acquiring an additional 5,229 shares during the period. 88.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday, January 5th. B. Riley boosted their target price on shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals from $11.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 31st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 3rd. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, 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 report on Wednesday, December 31st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $13.63.

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $7.74 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $6.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $5.54. The company has a market cap of $457.43 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.45 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 3.10 and a current ratio of 3.12. Vanda Pharmaceuticals has a one year low of $3.81 and a one year high of $9.60.

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.