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

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report published on Saturday.

VRCA has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Loop Capital set a $17.00 target price on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Brookline Capital Acquisition upgraded 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. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $17.00.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 4.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:VRCA opened at $6.91 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $7.84 and a 200-day moving average of $5.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $110.49 million, a PE ratio of -2.03 and a beta of 1.46. Verrica Pharmaceuticals has a 12 month low of $3.28 and a 12 month high of $9.82.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 14th. The company reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.14) by $1.27. The firm had revenue of $14.34 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.34 million. On average, research analysts predict that Verrica Pharmaceuticals will post -1.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Verrica Pharmaceuticals

In other Verrica Pharmaceuticals news, CEO Jayson Rieger acquired 94,311 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $4.24 per share, with a total value of $399,878.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 182,593 shares in the company, valued at approximately $774,194.32. This trade represents a 106.83% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, 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 acquired at an average price of $4.24 per share, with a total value of $42,400.00. Following the purchase, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders acquired 4,236,346 shares of company stock valued at $17,962,107. 54.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Verrica Pharmaceuticals

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Legacy Trust purchased a new position in Verrica Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at about $143,000. Boothbay Fund Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,210,000. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $52,000. Armistice Capital LLC lifted its stake in Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 3.7% in the second quarter. Armistice Capital LLC now owns 8,881,344 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,708,000 after purchasing an additional 313,944 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd bought a new position in Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter valued at $28,000. 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.