Insider Selling: Vanda Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VNDA) CEO Sells 156,235 Shares of Stock

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VNDA) CEO Mihael Hristos Polymeropoulos sold 156,235 shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.17, for a total value of $1,276,439.95. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,704,496 shares in the company, valued at $22,095,732.32. This trade represents a 5.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

NASDAQ VNDA traded up $0.36 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $8.20. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,262,325 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,910,256. 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 Inc. has a 1 year low of $3.81 and a 1 year high of $9.60. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $7.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $5.97. The company has a market capitalization of $484.69 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.20 and a beta of 0.55.

Vanda Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VNDA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($2.39) earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $57.22 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $59.28 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. will post -1.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Key Vanda Pharmaceuticals News

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.).

Institutional Trading of Vanda Pharmaceuticals

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Vanda Pharmaceuticals by 0.4% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,587,139 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $17,900,000 after acquiring an additional 14,336 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals by 220.0% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 2,139,591 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $9,821,000 after acquiring an additional 1,470,898 shares during the last quarter. AIGH Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth about $17,626,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,691,638 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $7,986,000 after purchasing an additional 77,997 shares during the period. Finally, Krensavage Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Vanda Pharmaceuticals by 15.2% during the 3rd quarter. Krensavage Asset Management LLC now owns 1,180,388 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $5,890,000 after purchasing an additional 155,505 shares during the last quarter. 88.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on VNDA shares. Zacks Research downgraded Vanda Pharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. HC Wainwright boosted their price target on shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vanda Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Four 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.