Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VRCA) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Short interest jumped 16.8% in April to 581,329 shares (7.4% of float), leaving a short-interest ratio of about 6.8 days based on average daily volume.
• Analyst sentiment is weak with an average rating of "Reduce" (one Buy, one Hold, two Sell) and an average price target of $17.00.
• In the most recent quarter Verrica reported a loss of ($0.51) per share—missing estimates by $0.08—while revenue of $5.09 million topped expectations; the company has a market cap of about $113 million.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VRCA - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 581,329 shares, an increase of 16.8% from the March 31st total of 497,753 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 85,374 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.8 days. Currently, 7.4% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on VRCA shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $17.00.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of VRCA stock opened at $6.58 on Thursday. Verrica Pharmaceuticals has a 1-year low of $3.28 and a 1-year high of $9.82. The company has a market cap of $113.04 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.16 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 2.59 and a quick ratio of 2.45. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $5.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $6.10.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The company reported ($0.51) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.43) by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $5.09 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.52 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that Verrica Pharmaceuticals will post -2.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd acquired a new stake in Verrica Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 64.8% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 74,388 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 29,256 shares in the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth approximately $52,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter worth approximately $66,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.45% of the company's stock.

About Verrica Pharmaceuticals

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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