Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VRCA) Given Consensus Rating of "Reduce" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Consensus "Reduce": Four analysts give Verrica an average rating of "Reduce" (two sells, one hold, one buy) with a 12-month average target price of $17.00.
• Stock and recent results: VRCA opened at $6.21 with a market cap of about $106.7M and a negative PE; it reported Q1 EPS of ($0.51) (missing estimates) while revenue of $5.09M beat expectations.
• Pipeline focus: Verrica is a clinical-stage dermatology company advancing topical candidates including lead product VP-102 for molluscum and warts and next-generation VP-103.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VRCA - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Reduce" from the four ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $17.00.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on VRCA. raised shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $17.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Loop Capital set a $17.00 target price on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, December 18th.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 5.1%

NASDAQ VRCA opened at $6.21 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 2.45 and a current ratio of 2.59. The firm has a market cap of $106.69 million, a PE ratio of -3.93 and a beta of 1.42. Verrica Pharmaceuticals has a one year low of $3.28 and a one year high of $9.82. The firm's fifty day moving average is $5.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $5.96.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The company reported ($0.51) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.43) by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $5.09 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.52 million. Analysts expect that Verrica Pharmaceuticals will post -1.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Verrica Pharmaceuticals

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 306.7% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 58,711 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 44,275 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd purchased a new stake in Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 64.8% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 74,388 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 29,256 shares in the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth $52,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 23.3% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 139,055 shares of the company's stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 26,308 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.45% of the company's stock.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc is a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of topical therapies for dermatological conditions. Its lead investigational product, VP-102, is a standardized formulation of cantharidin in a pre-measured applicator designed to treat molluscum contagiosum and common warts. Verrica's approach emphasizes consistency of dosing and patient convenience, aiming to improve upon off‐label use of existing treatments.

Beyond VP-102, Verrica is advancing VP-103, a next‐generation topical candidate intended to optimize tolerability while maintaining efficacy against viral skin lesions.

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