Ventyx Biosciences (NASDAQ:VTYX) Stock Rating Lowered by Lifesci Capital

Ventyx Biosciences (NASDAQ:VTYX) was downgraded by Lifesci Capital from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on VTYX. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $14.00 price objective (down previously from $20.00) on shares of Ventyx Biosciences in a research report on Thursday. Oppenheimer downgraded Ventyx Biosciences from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $14.00 price objective on shares of Ventyx Biosciences in a research note on Thursday. Clear Str downgraded Ventyx Biosciences from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Ventyx Biosciences in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $14.00.

Ventyx Biosciences Stock Up 0.8%

NASDAQ:VTYX opened at $13.84 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $9.16 and a 200-day moving average of $5.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $987.62 million, a P/E ratio of -9.23 and a beta of 1.23. Ventyx Biosciences has a twelve month low of $0.78 and a twelve month high of $25.00.

Ventyx Biosciences (NASDAQ:VTYX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported ($0.32) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.45) by $0.13. On average, analysts anticipate that Ventyx Biosciences will post -2.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Ventyx Biosciences

In other news, CEO Raju Mohan sold 47,345 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.72, for a total value of $365,503.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 2,372,863 shares in the company, valued at $18,318,502.36. This trade represents a 1.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider John Nuss sold 12,675 shares of Ventyx Biosciences stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.72, for a total value of $97,851.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 489,481 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,778,793.32. The trade was a 2.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 14.49% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ventyx Biosciences

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Ventyx Biosciences by 925.6% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 880,222 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,012,000 after acquiring an additional 794,401 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ventyx Biosciences in the first quarter valued at about $56,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ventyx Biosciences by 443.8% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 537,054 shares of the company’s stock valued at $614,000 after purchasing an additional 438,286 shares in the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Ventyx Biosciences during the second quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Ventyx Biosciences by 21.1% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 29,657 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 5,174 shares in the last quarter. 97.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Ventyx Biosciences

Here are the key news stories impacting Ventyx Biosciences this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Lilly agreed to acquire Ventyx for $14.00 per share in an all-cash deal (~$1.2 billion), providing a near-term cash exit and strategic validation of Ventyx’s small-molecule inflammation pipeline. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple analysts reiterated market-perform/equal-weight ratings with $14 price targets that align with the deal price, suggesting limited analyst upside absent a higher bid or revised guidance. (Wells Fargo and Lifesci Capital coverage noted.)
• Negative Sentiment: Several law firms have launched investigations into the transaction and potential securities issues — Edelson Lechtzin, Brodsky & Smith, Pomerantz, Halper Sadeh, and Ademi — alleging possible misleading disclosures or breaches of fiduciary duty; these actions could lead to litigation, delay, or pressure for a higher bid. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Canaccord Genuity downgraded Ventyx, adding downward analyst pressure that may weigh on sentiment around the deal and any potential competing bids. Read More.

About Ventyx Biosciences

Ventyx Biosciences, Inc, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, develops small molecule product candidates to address a range of inflammatory diseases. The company’s lead clinical product candidate is VTX958, a selective allosteric tyrosine kinase type 2 inhibitor for psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and Crohn’s disease. It is also developing VTX002, a sphingosine 1 phosphate receptor modulator that is in Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of ulcerative colitis; and VTX2735, a peripheral-targeted NOD-like receptor protein 3 inflammasome inhibitor to treat patients with cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome.