Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) Upgraded to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Brookline Capital Management raised shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $17.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Loop Capital set a $17.00 price objective on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $17.00.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 4.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:VRCA opened at $7.26 on Friday. Verrica Pharmaceuticals has a 1 year low of $3.28 and a 1 year high of $9.82. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $7.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $6.00. The firm has a market cap of $116.09 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.13 and a beta of 1.45.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) last announced 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.34 million. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Verrica Pharmaceuticals will post -1.46 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Verrica Pharmaceuticals

In other news, CEO Jayson Rieger purchased 94,311 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $4.24 per share, for a total transaction of $399,878.64. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 182,593 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $774,194.32. The trade was a 106.83% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO David Zawitz acquired 10,000 shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 21,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $89,040. This trade represents a 90.91% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders purchased 4,236,346 shares of company stock worth $17,962,107. Company insiders own 54.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verrica Pharmaceuticals

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 306.7% in 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 in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd bought a new stake in Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 64.8% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 74,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 29,256 shares during the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at about $52,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 23.3% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 139,055 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 26,308 shares during the last quarter. 42.45% of the stock is 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.