Ardelyx (NASDAQ:ARDX) Shares Gap Up Following Insider Buying Activity

Shares of Ardelyx, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARDX) gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday after an insider bought additional shares in the company. The stock had previously closed at $5.75, but opened at $6.21. Ardelyx shares last traded at $6.12, with a volume of 1,232,841 shares traded.

Specifically, Director David M. Mott acquired 333,333 shares of Ardelyx stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $5.84 per share, with a total value of $1,946,664.72. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 3,302,918 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,289,041.12. This trade represents a 11.22% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ARDX has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $19.00 price objective on shares of Ardelyx in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Ardelyx in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Ardelyx in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Ardelyx from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $10.00 to $16.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $19.00 price target on shares of Ardelyx in a report on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ardelyx presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $15.09.

Ardelyx News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Ardelyx this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Director David M. Mott purchased 333,333 shares (~$1.95M) at about $5.84, increasing his stake ~11.2% — a large, fresh insider buy that signals strong board-level conviction and can support the stock. Director Purchase SEC Filing
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple sell‑side firms reiterated or raised coverage (Wedbush reaffirmed “outperform” with a $19 PT; BTIG, HC Wainwright and others remain bullish), providing analyst support that can attract buyers. Wedbush Note via Benzinga BTIG Reiteration
• Positive Sentiment: Ardelyx announced a multi‑year partnership with the LPGA to raise awareness of digestive health issues — a marketing/PR initiative that could help patient awareness and brand reach for tenapanor (XPHOZAH). LPGA Partnership Press Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation discussion after 2025 results: a Yahoo Finance piece reviews Ardelyx’s post‑2025 performance and 2026 growth guidance — useful for investors re‑assessing multiples and forward expectations. Yahoo Valuation Check
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent quarter: revenue beat ($125.2M vs. $118.0M) and ~7.8% y/y growth — a constructive top‑line datapoint but only partially offsetting profitability issues.
• Negative Sentiment: EPS missed expectations (reported -$0.01 vs. $0.02 expected), which triggered post‑earnings selling and elevates near‑term execution risk as analysts and investors digest profitability and guidance. Earnings Reaction
• Negative Sentiment: Clustered insider selling on Feb. 20 — including CEO Michael Raab (~45,982 shares) and several other executives (CFO, directors, officers) at roughly $5.85 — may be read as profit‑taking and can weigh on sentiment despite the director buy. CEO Sale SEC Filing CFO Sale Report

Ardelyx Trading Up 8.8%

The company has a 50-day moving average of $6.76 and a 200 day moving average of $6.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 4.31 and a quick ratio of 4.11. The company has a market cap of $1.52 billion, a PE ratio of -24.50 and a beta of 0.57.

Ardelyx (NASDAQ:ARDX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.01) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.02 by ($0.03). Ardelyx had a negative net margin of 15.12% and a negative return on equity of 40.63%. The company had revenue of $125.22 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $118.04 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.02 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Ardelyx, Inc. will post -0.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ardelyx

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ARDX. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in Ardelyx by 34.2% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 11,250,652 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $44,103,000 after purchasing an additional 2,866,843 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of Ardelyx by 88.8% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,527,988 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $21,670,000 after buying an additional 2,600,080 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ardelyx by 14.6% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,369,321 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $101,215,000 after buying an additional 2,337,672 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Ardelyx by 22.6% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,912,339 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $69,449,000 after acquiring an additional 2,193,649 shares during the period. Finally, J. Goldman & Co LP grew its position in Ardelyx by 1,034.8% in the 4th quarter. J. Goldman & Co LP now owns 1,622,736 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $9,461,000 after acquiring an additional 1,479,736 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 58.92% of the company’s stock.

About Ardelyx

Ardelyx, Inc (NASDAQ: ARDX) is a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing targeted small molecule drugs for cardio‐renal and gastrointestinal diseases. The company’s lead marketed product, tenapanor (sold under the brand name XPHOZAH in the United States), is approved for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia in patients with chronic kidney disease on dialysis. Ardelyx’s proprietary approach targets epithelial transporters in the gastrointestinal tract, offering localized activity with limited systemic exposure.

Beyond tenapanor, Ardelyx’s development pipeline includes treatments designed to address other complications in kidney disease and related metabolic disorders.