Candriam S.C.A. Increases Position in Vera Therapeutics, Inc. $VERA

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. increased its stake in Vera Therapeutics by 5.7% in the first quarter, adding 25,781 shares to bring its total holding to 475,335 shares worth about $19.1 million.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with hedge funds and other institutions controlling 99.21% of Vera Therapeutics’ shares. Several other investors also recently added to or initiated positions.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish on the stock: multiple firms recently raised price targets, and the consensus rating is “Moderate Buy” with an average target price of $84.58, even as CEO Marshall Fordyce sold shares under a pre-arranged trading plan.

Candriam S.C.A. grew its position in Vera Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VERA - Free Report) by 5.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 475,335 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 25,781 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A. owned approximately 0.67% of Vera Therapeutics worth $19,123,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Vera Therapeutics by 50.5% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 703 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vera Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth about $46,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Vera Therapeutics during the second quarter worth approximately $51,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in Vera Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $71,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in Vera Therapeutics by 192.9% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,186 shares of the company's stock valued at $99,000 after purchasing an additional 2,757 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.21% of the company's stock.

More Vera Therapeutics News

Here are the key news stories impacting Vera Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights continued bullish views on VERA after the FDA approval of its kidney disease treatment, with one article arguing the stock could still be well below fair value despite the big post-approval rally. Vera Therapeutics Could Be 92% Below Fair Value After FDA Approval
• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright and other analysts maintained buy ratings and, in some cases, raised price targets, signaling confidence in Vera’s launch opportunity and longer-term growth potential. HC Wainwright Gives Vera Therapeutics New $125 Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced inducement grants to eight new employees, which can be viewed as a routine hiring/retention step supporting commercialization efforts. Vera Therapeutics Announces Inducement Grants

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Vera Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Needham & Company LLC set a $125.00 price target on Vera Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Vera Therapeutics from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Vera Therapeutics from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, HC Wainwright upped their price target on shares of Vera Therapeutics from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vera Therapeutics currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $84.58.

Vera Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of Vera Therapeutics stock traded down $0.45 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $42.00. 3,402,946 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,289,459. The company has a current ratio of 13.64, a quick ratio of 13.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The business has a 50-day moving average of $36.63 and a 200-day moving average of $41.10. Vera Therapeutics, Inc. has a 1 year low of $19.07 and a 1 year high of $56.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.58 and a beta of 0.92.

Vera Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VERA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($1.69) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.33) by ($0.36). During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.81) EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Vera Therapeutics, Inc. will post -6.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Marshall Fordyce sold 46,250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.30, for a total value of $1,956,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 151,994 shares in the company, valued at $6,429,346.20. This trade represents a 23.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 106,201 shares of company stock worth $4,348,762 in the last quarter. Insiders own 15.90% of the company's stock.

About Vera Therapeutics

Vera Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel immunotherapies that harness the body's own regulatory T cells to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. By leveraging a proprietary protein engineering platform, the company designs Treg-selective cytokine variants intended to restore immune balance and provide targeted, disease-modifying effects. Its pipeline comprises multiple preclinical and clinical candidates aimed at indications characterized by chronic inflammation and autoimmunity.

Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Vera Therapeutics collaborates with leading academic and research institutions to advance its development programs.

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