Ventyx Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:VTYX) Short Interest Up 19.8% in December

Ventyx Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:VTYX) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 7,294,699 shares, an increase of 19.8% from the December 15th total of 6,089,007 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,050,759 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.9 days. Approximately 12.5% of the company’s stock are sold short. Approximately 12.5% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,050,759 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.9 days.

Ventyx Biosciences Trading Down 0.1%

VTYX opened at $13.88 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $9.97 and its 200 day moving average is $5.90. The company has a market cap of $990.48 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.25 and a beta of 1.23. Ventyx Biosciences has a 12-month low of $0.78 and a 12-month high of $25.00.

Ventyx Biosciences (NASDAQ:VTYX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported ($0.32) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.45) by $0.13. As a group, analysts predict that Ventyx Biosciences will post -2.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on VTYX. Clear Str cut Ventyx Biosciences from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut Ventyx Biosciences from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $16.00 to $14.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Lifesci Capital reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $14.00 price target on shares of Ventyx Biosciences in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Oppenheimer cut shares of Ventyx Biosciences from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $14.00 price target (down previously from $20.00) on shares of Ventyx Biosciences in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $14.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Raju Mohan sold 47,345 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.72, for a total transaction of $365,503.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,372,863 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,318,502.36. This represents a 1.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider John Nuss sold 12,675 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.72, for a total transaction of $97,851.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 489,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,778,793.32. This represents a 2.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 18.18% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ventyx Biosciences

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Ventyx Biosciences in the second quarter worth about $34,000. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd bought a new position in shares of Ventyx Biosciences during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Ventyx Biosciences in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP bought a new stake in Ventyx Biosciences during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new position in Ventyx Biosciences during the third quarter valued at approximately $61,000. 97.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.