Verastem (NASDAQ:VSTM) Shares Down 4.1% – Should You Sell?

Verastem, Inc. (NASDAQ:VSTM) traded down 4.1% on Monday . The company traded as low as $6.29 and last traded at $6.31. 477,526 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 1,966,419 shares. The stock had previously closed at $6.58.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VSTM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $15.00 target price (down from $19.00) on shares of Verastem in a research report on Monday, March 30th. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and set a $18.00 price target on shares of Verastem in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Mizuho set a $18.00 price objective on shares of Verastem in a report on Thursday, February 19th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 price objective on shares of Verastem in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Verastem in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, one has assigned 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 an average target price of $16.60.

Verastem Price Performance

The company’s 50 day moving average price is $5.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $7.41. The company has a market cap of $572.98 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.03 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 3.07 and a current ratio of 3.09.

Verastem (NASDAQ:VSTM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.50) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.49) by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $17.54 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.85 million. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Verastem, Inc. will post -3.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Verastem

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Verastem by 182.9% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,578 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 2,960 shares in the last quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Verastem during the second quarter worth $49,000. Nebula Research & Development LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Verastem during the second quarter valued at $53,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in shares of Verastem by 9.8% during the second 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 last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.37% of the company’s stock.

About Verastem

Verastem Oncology, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of small molecule therapies that target cancer stemness and resistance pathways. Established in 2010 and headquartered in Needham, Massachusetts, Verastem Oncology applies a precision-medicine approach to identify key signaling nodes responsible for tumor growth and relapse, with an emphasis on hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. The company’s research platform integrates insights into complex signaling networks to advance novel compounds from early discovery through clinical proof of concept.

The company’s lead marketed product is COPIKTRA (duvelisib), an oral inhibitor of PI3K-delta and PI3K-gamma, which received U.S.