Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) Earns Buy Rating from Analysts at Lake Street Capital

Lake Street Capital started coverage on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) in a research report sent to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $9.00 price target on the stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. HC Wainwright assumed coverage on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $12.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Verrica Pharmaceuticals has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $12.67.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 12.2%

NASDAQ VRCA opened at $5.69 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $5.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $5.81. The stock has a market cap of $97.75 million, a P/E ratio of -3.41 and a beta of 1.49. Verrica Pharmaceuticals has a 12-month low of $3.28 and a 12-month high of $9.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Verrica Pharmaceuticals

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VRCA. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 14.1% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 23,481 shares of the company’s stock valued at $195,000 after acquiring an additional 2,900 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 22.6% during the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 32,360 shares of the company’s stock worth $171,000 after purchasing an additional 5,960 shares during the last quarter. Man Group plc acquired a new stake in Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth about $94,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new position in Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth about $99,000. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth about $52,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.