Scientech Research LLC Invests $809,000 in Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share $VRNA

Scientech Research LLC purchased a new position in Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share (NASDAQ:VRNA - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 12,741 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $809,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of VRNA. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share in the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share in the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share in the 1st quarter worth approximately $58,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new stake in shares of Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share during the 4th quarter worth approximately $72,000. Finally, Advisors Preferred LLC grew its stake in shares of Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share by 65.4% during the 1st quarter. Advisors Preferred LLC now owns 1,599 shares of the company's stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 632 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.88% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on VRNA. TD Cowen cut shares of Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on shares of Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 11th. Roth Capital cut shares of Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $107.00 price objective (down previously from $140.00) on shares of Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $107.00 price objective (up previously from $90.00) on shares of Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $109.00.

Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share Price Performance

Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share stock traded up $0.03 during trading on Friday, reaching $106.43. The company had a trading volume of 918,692 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,254,697. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $104.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $83.57. Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share has a 1-year low of $27.54 and a 1-year high of $106.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.71 billion, a PE ratio of -107.50 and a beta of 0.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 10.54 and a current ratio of 10.71.

Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share (NASDAQ:VRNA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.01) by $0.14. The company had revenue of $103.14 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $90.41 million. Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share had a negative return on equity of 21.12% and a negative net margin of 36.62%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share will post -1.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share

In related news, insider Kathleen A. Rickard sold 58,336 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.14, for a total value of $766,535.04. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 2,607,472 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,262,182.08. The trade was a 2.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Michael Austwick sold 11,288 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.14, for a total transaction of $148,324.32. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 12,712 shares in the company, valued at approximately $167,035.68. This trade represents a 47.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 620,584 shares of company stock worth $8,025,674. Corporate insiders own 4.80% of the company's stock.

About Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share

Verona Pharma plc, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on development and commercialization of therapies for the treatment of respiratory diseases with unmet medical needs. The company's product candidate is ensifentrine, an inhaled and dual inhibitor of the phosphodiesterase (PDE) 3 and PDE4 enzymes that acts as both a bronchodilator and an anti-inflammatory agent in a single compound, which is in Phase 3 clinical trials for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and cystic fibrosis.