Vera Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VERA) Stock Price Up 7.1% - What's Next?

Key Points

• Shares jumped 7.1% to about $43.82 on Friday amid lower-than-average volume, and analysts have been raising targets—consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $81.45 (some firms target as high as $110).
• Vera shows very strong liquidity (quick and current ratios of 13.64) and a market cap of $3.21 billion, but remains unprofitable (recent quarterly EPS of -$1.39, trailing P/E negative and analysts forecast ~-2.89 EPS for the year).
• Company insiders have been trimming positions (CEO Marshall Fordyce sold 16,925 shares; insiders sold ~33,490 shares in the past 90 days), while several large institutional investors substantially increased stakes, indicating mixed insider selling but strong institutional interest.

Vera Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VERA - Get Free Report) rose 7.1% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $43.19 and last traded at $43.82. Approximately 678,249 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 41% from the average daily volume of 1,150,110 shares. The stock had previously closed at $40.93.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on VERA. Wolfe Research raised shares of Vera Therapeutics from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $88.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Vera Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Vera Therapeutics from $48.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. HC Wainwright raised their target price on shares of Vera Therapeutics from $90.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Vera Therapeutics from $55.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Ten 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $81.45.

Vera Therapeutics Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 13.64, a current ratio of 13.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The company has a market cap of $3.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.66 and a beta of 1.17. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $41.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.92.

Vera Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VERA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported ($1.39) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.34) by ($0.05). During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($0.72) EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Vera Therapeutics, Inc. will post -2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vera Therapeutics

In related news, CEO Marshall Fordyce sold 16,925 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.98, for a total transaction of $710,511.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 257,163 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,795,702.74. This represents a 6.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO David Lee Johnson sold 2,579 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.98, for a total transaction of $108,266.42. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 45,727 shares in the company, valued at $1,919,619.46. This trade represents a 5.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 33,490 shares of company stock valued at $1,405,910. Corporate insiders own 16.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vera Therapeutics

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VERA. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in Vera Therapeutics by 49.0% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,461,976 shares of the company's stock valued at $276,595,000 after buying an additional 1,795,537 shares during the period. Vestal Point Capital LP raised its stake in shares of 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. Integral Health Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Vera Therapeutics by 47.8% in the third quarter. Integral Health Asset Management LLC now owns 1,700,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,402,000 after purchasing an additional 550,000 shares during the period. Elmind Capital LP purchased a new position in Vera Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at $24,434,000. Finally, Braidwell LP acquired a new position in Vera Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth $13,738,000. 99.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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