UBS Group AG Has $3.87 Million Position in Verastem, Inc. $VSTM

UBS Group AG lifted its stake in Verastem, Inc. (NASDAQ:VSTM) by 76.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 501,471 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 217,069 shares during the period. UBS Group AG’s holdings in Verastem were worth $3,871,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of VSTM. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its stake in Verastem by 182.9% in the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 4,578 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 2,960 shares during the last quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Verastem in the second quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Nebula Research & Development LLC bought a new position in Verastem in the second quarter valued at approximately $53,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in Verastem by 9.8% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 16,188 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 1,440 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in Verastem by 110.9% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 8,550 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $75,000 after acquiring an additional 4,496 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.37% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VSTM has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $15.00 price objective (down from $19.00) on shares of Verastem in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Alliance Global Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Verastem in a research note on Friday, May 8th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $18.00 price objective on shares of Verastem in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Verastem from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Verastem from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (e+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $15.60.

Verastem Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ VSTM opened at $4.24 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $5.41 and its 200-day moving average is $6.84. The stock has a market cap of $372.57 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.57 and a beta of 0.34. Verastem, Inc. has a twelve month low of $4.00 and a twelve month high of $11.24. The company has a quick ratio of 3.00, a current ratio of 3.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Verastem (NASDAQ:VSTM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.50) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.49) by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $17.54 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.85 million. Verastem had a negative return on equity of 486.40% and a negative net margin of 391.17%. Equities research analysts predict that Verastem, Inc. will post -1.57 EPS for the current year.

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.