Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share (NASDAQ:VRNA) Director Lisa Deschamps Sells 9,464 Shares

Key Points

• Lisa Deschamps, a director at Verona Pharma, sold 9,464 shares for approximately $124,357, decreasing her ownership by 10.03% to 84,856 shares.
• The company's stock price recently traded down 0.1% to $105.40, with a market capitalization of $8.97 billion.
• Multiple analysts have downgraded Verona Pharma's stock, bringing the consensus rating to "Hold" with a target price of $109.00.

Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share (NASDAQ:VRNA - Get Free Report) Director Lisa Deschamps sold 9,464 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.14, for a total transaction of $124,356.96. Following the sale, the director owned 84,856 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,115,007.84. This trade represents a 10.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share Trading Down 0.1%

NASDAQ:VRNA traded down $0.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $105.28. 610,545 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,298,595. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $97.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $75.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -106.34 and a beta of 0.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 10.71 and a quick ratio of 8.73. Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share has a 12-month low of $21.56 and a 12-month high of $105.50.

Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share (NASDAQ:VRNA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.01) by $0.14. The firm 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share will post -1.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VRNA has been the subject of several research reports. BTIG Research lowered Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. 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. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $107.00 target price (down previously from $140.00) on shares of Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered shares of Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $107.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Wolfe Research cut Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $109.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VRNA. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share during the 1st quarter valued at about $34,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share by 44.2% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 630 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share during the 1st quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc bought a new position in shares of Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $52,000. 85.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.