Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share (NASDAQ:VRNA) Director Sells $148,324.32 in Stock

Key Points

• Director Michael Austwick of Verona Pharma PLC sold 11,288 shares of the company's stock for approximately $148,324.32, reducing his position by 47.03%.
• Verona Pharma’s stock is currently experiencing volatility, trading down 0.1% at $105.40 with a market capitalization of $8.97 billion.
• Several analysts have downgraded their ratings on the stock, with Piper Sandler and Canaccord Genuity both changing their ratings from "strong-buy" to "hold."

Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share (NASDAQ:VRNA - Get Free Report) Director Michael Austwick sold 11,288 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.14, for a total transaction of $148,324.32. Following the transaction, the director owned 12,712 shares of the company's stock, valued at $167,035.68. This represents a 47.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of VRNA stock traded down $0.12 on Friday, hitting $105.28. The company's stock had a trading volume of 610,545 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,298,595. 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 fifty-two week low of $21.56 and a fifty-two week high of $105.50. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $97.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $75.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -106.34 and a beta of 0.12.

Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share (NASDAQ:VRNA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by $0.14. Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share had a negative net margin of 36.62% and a negative return on equity of 21.12%. The business had revenue of $103.14 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $90.41 million. Research analysts anticipate that Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share will post -1.95 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on VRNA shares. 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. Roth Capital cut shares of Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $138.00 to $107.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut shares of Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $107.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $107.00 target price (down previously from $140.00) on shares of Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $109.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VRNA. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share in the 4th quarter valued at $225,000. LPL Financial LLC grew its stake in Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share by 108.1% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 30,033 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,395,000 after buying an additional 15,598 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 62,741 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,914,000 after buying an additional 660 shares during the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new position in Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share in the 4th quarter valued at $1,447,000. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its stake in Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share by 27.2% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 67,126 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,117,000 after purchasing an additional 14,362 shares during the last quarter. 85.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share Company Profile

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.