Q1 EPS Estimates for Verona Pharma Lowered by Roth Capital

Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Roth Capital cut their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for shares of Verona Pharma in a report issued on Tuesday, April 29th. Roth Capital analyst B. Pachaiyappan now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $0.68 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.76. The consensus estimate for Verona Pharma's current full-year earnings is ($1.95) per share. Roth Capital also issued estimates for Verona Pharma's Q2 2026 earnings at $0.91 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.02 EPS and Q4 2026 earnings at $1.18 EPS.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on VRNA. Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Verona Pharma in a report on Monday, April 28th. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Verona Pharma from $93.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Truist Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $57.00 price target (up from $44.00) on shares of Verona Pharma in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of Verona Pharma in a report on Monday, April 21st. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $80.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Verona Pharma in a research report on Monday, April 28th. They set a "buy" rating and a $100.00 price target for the company. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Verona Pharma presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $81.50.

Verona Pharma Trading Up 0.7 %

VRNA stock traded up $0.47 during trading on Thursday, reaching $72.73. 1,449,011 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,270,611. The company has a current ratio of 13.03, a quick ratio of 12.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -37.88 and a beta of 0.20. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $63.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $52.02. Verona Pharma has a 1 year low of $11.39 and a 1 year high of $74.18.

Verona Pharma (NASDAQ:VRNA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.22) by $0.49. The company had revenue of $98.65 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $41.47 million.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, General Counsel Andrew Fisher sold 26,072 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.98, for a total transaction of $234,126.56. Following the sale, the general counsel now directly owns 359,993 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,232,737.14. This represents a 6.75 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO David Zaccardelli sold 90,360 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.98, for a total transaction of $811,432.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 14,377,176 shares of the company's stock, valued at $129,107,040.48. This represents a 0.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 250,080 shares of company stock worth $2,194,582 over the last three months. Company insiders own 4.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Verona Pharma

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Verona Pharma in the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Verona Pharma in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $46,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new stake in shares of Verona Pharma in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $72,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Verona Pharma by 20.7% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,612 shares of the company's stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new stake in shares of Verona Pharma during the 1st quarter worth $100,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.88% of the company's stock.

About Verona Pharma

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.