Vera Therapeutics, Inc. $VERA Shares Sold by Rock Springs Capital Management LP

Key Points

• Rock Springs Capital Management reduced its Vera Therapeutics stake by 11.4% in the first quarter, selling 64,994 shares and retaining 503,585 shares valued at approximately $20.3 million. Institutional investors collectively own 99.21% of VERA.
• Vera reported a first-quarter loss of $1.69 per share, missing the $1.33 consensus estimate. Shares opened at $35.18, while the stock’s 52-week range is $19.07 to $56.05.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with 11 Buy ratings, one Hold and one Sell; the consensus rating is “Moderate Buy” with an $84.58 price target. Meanwhile, CEO Marshall Fordyce sold 46,250 shares under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan.

Rock Springs Capital Management LP decreased its stake in Vera Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VERA - Free Report) by 11.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 503,585 shares of the company's stock after selling 64,994 shares during the period. Vera Therapeutics makes up 1.2% of Rock Springs Capital Management LP's portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Rock Springs Capital Management LP owned 0.70% of Vera Therapeutics worth $20,259,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of VERA. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in Vera Therapeutics by 49.0% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,461,976 shares of the company's stock worth $276,595,000 after acquiring an additional 1,795,537 shares in the last quarter. Deerfield Management Company L.P. boosted its holdings in Vera Therapeutics by 8.8% in the 3rd quarter. Deerfield Management Company L.P. now owns 3,641,157 shares of the company's stock worth $105,812,000 after acquiring an additional 293,040 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Vera Therapeutics by 11.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,570,401 shares of the company's stock valued at $180,805,000 after acquiring an additional 379,748 shares in the last quarter. Vestal Point Capital LP grew its position in Vera Therapeutics by 24.0% in the second quarter. Vestal Point Capital LP now owns 3,100,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $73,036,000 after acquiring an additional 600,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eversept Partners LP raised its stake in shares of Vera Therapeutics by 9.4% during the fourth quarter. Eversept Partners LP now owns 3,072,304 shares of the company's stock valued at $155,581,000 after purchasing an additional 264,468 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.21% of the company's stock.

Vera Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of VERA opened at $35.18 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $2.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.35 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a quick ratio of 13.64, a current ratio of 13.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The business's 50 day moving average is $37.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $40.01. Vera Therapeutics, Inc. has a 52-week low of $19.07 and a 52-week high of $56.05.

Vera Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VERA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($1.69) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.33) by ($0.36). During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.81) EPS. Analysts forecast that Vera Therapeutics, Inc. will post -6.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vera Therapeutics news, CEO Marshall Fordyce sold 46,250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 151,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,429,346.20. This trade represents a 23.33% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 83,250 shares of company stock worth $3,337,770. 15.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on VERA. HC Wainwright boosted their target price on shares of Vera Therapeutics from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Vera Therapeutics from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wedbush lifted their price target on shares of Vera Therapeutics from $35.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Vera Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Vera Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $84.58.

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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