Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) Downgraded to Hold Rating by Wall Street Zen

Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on VRCA. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Loop Capital set a $17.00 target price on Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Brookline Capital Acquisition raised Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $17.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $17.00.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 4.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:VRCA opened at $6.91 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $110.49 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.03 and a beta of 1.46. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $7.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $5.95. Verrica Pharmaceuticals has a twelve month low of $3.28 and a twelve month high of $9.82.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 14th. The company reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.14) by $1.27. The business had revenue of $14.34 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.34 million. Analysts anticipate that Verrica Pharmaceuticals will post -1.46 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Jayson Rieger acquired 94,311 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $4.24 per share, with a total value of $399,878.64. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 182,593 shares in the company, valued at $774,194.32. The trade was a 106.83% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO David Zawitz bought 10,000 shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $4.24 per share, for a total transaction of $42,400.00. Following the purchase, the chief operating officer directly owned 21,000 shares in the company, valued at $89,040. This represents a 90.91% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders purchased 4,236,346 shares of company stock worth $17,962,107 over the last three months. 54.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VRCA. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $52,000. Legacy Trust bought a new position in Verrica Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at $143,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd acquired a new position in Verrica Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter worth $28,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 306.7% during the first 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 64.8% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 74,388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 29,256 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 42.45% of the company’s stock.

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.