Insider Selling: Verastem (NASDAQ:VSTM) CEO Sells $87,240.78 in Stock

Verastem, Inc. (NASDAQ:VSTM) CEO Dan Paterson sold 20,871 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.18, for a total value of $87,240.78. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 591,242 shares in the company, valued at $2,471,391.56. The trade was a 3.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Verastem Stock Up 9.6%

Shares of Verastem stock opened at $3.78 on Friday. Verastem, Inc. has a 1 year low of $3.43 and a 1 year high of $11.24. The company has a market cap of $332.15 million, a P/E ratio of -1.40 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a current ratio of 3.04, a quick ratio of 3.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $4.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $5.91.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Alliance Global Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Verastem in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Verastem from $16.00 to $14.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Verastem from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, June 20th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $18.00 price target on shares of Verastem in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $15.00 price objective on shares of Verastem in a report on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Verastem presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $14.60.

Key Stories Impacting Verastem

Here are the key news stories impacting Verastem this week:

• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright maintained a Buy rating and $18 price target on Verastem, reinforcing a bullish long-term view despite lowering near-term earnings estimates.
• Neutral Sentiment: The company continues to draw attention from investors after recent updates on its oncology pipeline, including reported safety and efficacy findings from the RAMP 205 study, which could support longer-term sentiment if development progress continues. InsiderMonkey article on Verastem pipeline update
• Negative Sentiment: HC Wainwright trimmed its earnings outlook across multiple periods, including Q2 2026, Q3 2026, Q4 2026, FY2026, FY2028, FY2029 and FY2030, which signals lower expected profitability than previously modeled.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling by CEO Dan Paterson and CFO Daniel Calkins may be weighing on sentiment, even though the trades were made under pre-arranged 10b5-1 plans. Insider trade report for Verastem

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verastem

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VSTM. Torray Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Verastem in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,671,000. Foresite Capital Management VI LLC grew its position in Verastem by 104.9% in the third quarter. Foresite Capital Management VI LLC now owns 2,615,120 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $23,092,000 after acquiring an additional 1,338,600 shares in the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Verastem by 48.4% during the 3rd quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 590,184 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $5,211,000 after purchasing an additional 192,429 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of Verastem by 3,333.8% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 390,325 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $3,013,000 after purchasing an additional 378,958 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG raised its holdings in shares of Verastem by 76.3% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 501,471 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $3,871,000 after purchasing an additional 217,069 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.37% of the company’s stock.

Verastem Company Profile

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.