Ventyx Biosciences (NASDAQ:VTYX) Trading Down 6.1% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Ventyx Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:VTYX) fell 6.1% during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $7.89 and last traded at $7.89. 281,616 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 75% from the average session volume of 1,112,546 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.40.

More Ventyx Biosciences News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Eli Lilly confirmed an all-cash acquisition of Ventyx for $1.2 billion (approximately $14 per share), providing a clear exit valuation and immediate premium for Ventyx shareholders. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Lilly framed the deal as adding Ventyx’s small‑molecule pipeline—including NLRP3 inhibitors—to its inflammatory‑disease capabilities, giving strategic rationale for the premium and potential upside if Lilly advances the programs. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Shares had already been moving on reports and WSJ coverage that Lilly was in advanced talks, which triggered volatility and a temporary LULD trading pause as the market absorbed takeover rumors. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: An investor‑rights law firm has opened an investigation into Ventyx, which could indicate potential litigation or disclosure questions that investors should monitor during the deal process. Read More.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on VTYX. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on shares of Ventyx Biosciences from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Ventyx Biosciences in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Ventyx Biosciences from $11.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Ventyx Biosciences from $9.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, HC Wainwright upgraded Ventyx Biosciences from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $18.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $16.40.

Ventyx Biosciences Price Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average price of $9.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $5.14. The firm has a market cap of $979.77 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.15 and a beta of 1.23.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Ventyx Biosciences

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ventyx Biosciences

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in VTYX. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Ventyx Biosciences by 925.6% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 880,222 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,012,000 after purchasing an additional 794,401 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ventyx Biosciences during the first quarter valued at $56,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Ventyx Biosciences by 443.8% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 537,054 shares of the company’s stock worth $614,000 after acquiring an additional 438,286 shares in the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Ventyx Biosciences during the 2nd quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Ventyx Biosciences by 21.1% during the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 29,657 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 5,174 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.88% of the company’s stock.

Ventyx Biosciences Company Profile

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.