Jefferies Financial Group Upgrades Ironwood Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IRWD) to “Hold”

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IRWD) was upgraded by analysts at Jefferies Financial Group to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Friday, Zacks reports.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded Ironwood Pharmaceuticals from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, September 4th. Wall Street Zen cut Ironwood Pharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 5th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $6.23.

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of IRWD stock opened at $4.13 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $682.44 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.36 and a beta of 0.20. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $4.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $3.92. Ironwood Pharmaceuticals has a 1 year low of $1.26 and a 1 year high of $5.78.

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IRWD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The biotechnology company reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $113.04 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $114.84 million. Ironwood Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 58.38% and a net margin of 33.36%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ironwood Pharmaceuticals will post 1.1 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ironwood Pharmaceuticals

In related news, insider Ronald Silver sold 127,890 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.52, for a total transaction of $578,062.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 313,680 shares in the company, valued at $1,417,833.60. This represents a 28.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 9.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ironwood Pharmaceuticals

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. DGS Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals in the first quarter worth $40,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals in the first quarter worth $47,000. Bull Harbor Capital LLC bought a new stake in Ironwood Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in Ironwood Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter valued at $65,000.

About Ironwood Pharmaceuticals

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc is a gastrointestinal-focused pharmaceutical company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The company discovers, develops, and commercializes medicines for gastrointestinal diseases and other disorders where significant unmet medical needs remain.

Ironwood’s primary marketed product is LINZESS (linaclotide), an oral medication used to treat irritable bowel syndrome with constipation and chronic idiopathic constipation. The product was approved by the U.S.