Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VRCA) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VRCA) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $17.00.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VRCA. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th. Loop Capital set a $17.00 price objective on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, December 18th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Zacks Research raised shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, October 8th.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VRCA opened at $7.03 on Friday. Verrica Pharmaceuticals has a 1 year low of $3.28 and a 1 year high of $9.82. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $7.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $5.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $112.41 million, a PE ratio of -2.06 and a beta of 1.45.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verrica Pharmaceuticals

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VRCA. Legacy Trust bought a new position in Verrica Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $143,000. Boothbay Fund Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth $1,210,000. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth $52,000. Armistice Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Armistice Capital LLC now owns 8,881,344 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,708,000 after purchasing an additional 313,944 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd bought a new stake in Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter valued at about $28,000. 42.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

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.