Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VRCA) Receives $17.00 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VRCA) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the five analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $17.00.

VRCA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Brookline Capital Management upgraded shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $17.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Loop Capital set a $17.00 price target on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Thursday, December 18th.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of VRCA opened at $7.95 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $6.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $5.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $127.12 million, a PE ratio of -2.33 and a beta of 1.45. Verrica Pharmaceuticals has a one year low of $3.28 and a one year high of $9.82.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) last posted its earnings results on Friday, November 14th. The company reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.14) by $1.27. The firm had revenue of $14.34 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.34 million. Analysts expect that Verrica Pharmaceuticals will post -1.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO David Zawitz purchased 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $4.24 per share, with a total value of $42,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 21,000 shares in the company, valued at $89,040. This trade represents a 90.91% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Paul B. Manning purchased 2,750,762 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was bought at an average price of $4.24 per share, for a total transaction of $11,663,230.88. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 3,348,372 shares in the company, valued at $14,197,097.28. The trade was a 460.29% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders acquired 4,236,346 shares of company stock worth $17,962,107. Insiders own 54.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verrica Pharmaceuticals

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VRCA. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 306.7% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 58,711 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 44,275 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd purchased a new position in Verrica Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 64.8% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 74,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 29,256 shares during the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth approximately $52,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 23.3% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 139,055 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 26,308 shares during the last quarter. 42.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Verrica Pharmaceuticals

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc is a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of topical therapies for dermatological conditions. Its lead investigational product, VP-102, is a standardized formulation of cantharidin in a pre-measured applicator designed to treat molluscum contagiosum and common warts. Verrica’s approach emphasizes consistency of dosing and patient convenience, aiming to improve upon off‐label use of existing treatments.

Beyond VP-102, Verrica is advancing VP-103, a next‐generation topical candidate intended to optimize tolerability while maintaining efficacy against viral skin lesions.