Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share (NASDAQ:VRNA) Reaches New 1-Year High - Should You Buy?

Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share (NASDAQ:VRNA - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $104.93 and last traded at $104.79, with a volume of 26365621 shares. The stock had previously closed at $86.86.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VRNA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Cowen cut Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Canaccord Genuity Group cut Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $107.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday. Roth Capital cut Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday. BTIG Research cut Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $138.00 to $107.00 in a research note on Thursday. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $107.45.

Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share Trading Down 0.0%

The company has a market cap of $8.92 billion, a PE ratio of -52.42 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $83.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $67.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 8.73 and a current ratio of 8.86.

Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share (NASDAQ:VRNA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.22) by $0.49. The firm had revenue of $98.65 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $41.47 million. Sell-side analysts forecast that Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share will post -1.95 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share

In related news, CEO David Zaccardelli sold 400,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.40, for a total value of $4,560,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 13,190,168 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $150,367,915.20. The trade was a 2.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Kathleen A. Rickard sold 114,984 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.82, for a total value of $1,014,158.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 2,546,472 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,459,883.04. The trade was a 4.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,965,800 shares of company stock worth $20,056,881. 4.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share in the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share by 44.2% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 630 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share in the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share in the 1st quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Verona Pharma PLC American Depositary Share in the 1st quarter worth approximately $58,000. 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.