The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Cuts Stock Position in Vera Therapeutics, Inc. $VERA

Key Points

• The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company reduced its Vera Therapeutics stake by 29.7% in the first quarter, selling 61,779 shares and retaining 146,189 shares valued at approximately $5.9 million. Institutional investors collectively own 99.21% of the company.
• Vera Therapeutics’ CEO sold 46,250 shares for roughly $2.0 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, while insiders have sold 83,250 shares worth $3.34 million over the past three months.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with 11 Buy ratings, one Hold and one Sell, producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $84.58. The company recently missed quarterly earnings expectations, reporting a loss of $1.69 per share versus a consensus loss of $1.33.

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company trimmed its holdings in shares of Vera Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VERA - Free Report) by 29.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 146,189 shares of the company's stock after selling 61,779 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned approximately 0.20% of Vera Therapeutics worth $5,881,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Vera Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth $46,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in Vera Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at $51,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in Vera Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at $71,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in Vera Therapeutics by 192.9% during 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. Finally, Sandia Investment Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Vera Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at about $127,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.21% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Vera Therapeutics

In related news, CEO Marshall Fordyce sold 46,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.30, for a total transaction of $1,956,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 151,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,429,346.20. This represents a 23.33% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 83,250 shares of company stock worth $3,337,770. 15.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Vera Therapeutics Price Performance

Vera Therapeutics stock opened at $30.35 on Thursday. Vera Therapeutics, Inc. has a 52-week low of $19.07 and a 52-week high of $56.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.48 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $36.71 and a 200-day simple moving average of $39.22. The company has a quick ratio of 13.64, a current ratio of 13.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

Vera Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VERA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($1.69) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.33) by ($0.36). During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.81) EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Vera Therapeutics, Inc. will post -6.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Vera Therapeutics from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Vera Therapeutics from $56.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Vera Therapeutics in a report on Friday, July 17th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Vera Therapeutics from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $90.00 target price on shares of Vera Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $84.58.

Vera Therapeutics Company Profile

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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