Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VRCA) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VRCA) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the four ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $14.50.

Several brokerages have commented on VRCA. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. HC Wainwright began coverage on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $12.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, May 30th.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

NASDAQ:VRCA opened at $5.73 on Friday. Verrica Pharmaceuticals has a twelve month low of $3.28 and a twelve month high of $9.82. The company has a current ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The company has a 50-day moving average of $6.28 and a 200-day moving average of $6.64. The firm has a market cap of $98.44 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.56 and a beta of 1.49.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 12th. The company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.59) by $0.18. Verrica Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 47.97% and a negative return on equity of 1,077.78%. The company had revenue of $5.02 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.51 million. Analysts forecast that Verrica Pharmaceuticals will post -1.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kalehua Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth about $1,959,000. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $845,000. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $708,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $276,000. Finally, Walleye Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $127,000. 42.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.