Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) Insider Kathleen A. Rickard Sells 240,000 Shares of Stock

Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) insider Kathleen A. Rickard sold 240,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.90, for a total transaction of $1,176,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 2,671,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,090,252. This trade represents a 8.24 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Verona Pharma Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of VRNA opened at $39.84 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 13.03, a quick ratio of 12.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. Verona Pharma plc has a one year low of $11.39 and a one year high of $40.13. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $34.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $24.88.

Verona Pharma (NASDAQ:VRNA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported ($0.56) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.44) by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $5.62 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.31 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.18) EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Verona Pharma plc will post -2.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on VRNA shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Verona Pharma from $50.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. HC Wainwright upped their price objective on Verona Pharma from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on Verona Pharma from $37.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Verona Pharma from $38.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Verona Pharma currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $43.83.

Institutional Trading of Verona Pharma

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Verona Pharma by 25.4% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 529 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Verona Pharma by 70.6% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,336 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 553 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC purchased a new stake in Verona Pharma in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. EMC Capital Management purchased a new stake in Verona Pharma in the 2nd quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Verona Pharma by 37.1% in the 3rd quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 21,041 shares of the company’s stock valued at $605,000 after buying an additional 5,691 shares in the last quarter. 85.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Verona Pharma Company Profile

Verona Pharma plc, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on development and commercialization of therapies for the treatment of respiratory diseases with unmet medical needs. The company's product candidate is ensifentrine, an inhaled and dual inhibitor of the phosphodiesterase (PDE) 3 and PDE4 enzymes that acts as both a bronchodilator and an anti-inflammatory agent in a single compound, which is in Phase 3 clinical trials for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and cystic fibrosis.