Brokerages Set Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VRCA) Price Target at $17.00

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VRCA) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $17.00.

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on VRCA shares. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Brookline Capital Management raised shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $17.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 0.8%

Verrica Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $7.39 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $118.17 million, a PE ratio of -2.17 and a beta of 1.46. Verrica Pharmaceuticals has a 1 year low of $3.28 and a 1 year high of $9.82. The company’s 50-day moving average is $7.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $5.94.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 14th. The company reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.14) by $1.27. The company had revenue of $14.34 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.34 million. Research analysts forecast that Verrica Pharmaceuticals will post -1.46 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Paul B. Manning bought 2,750,762 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $4.24 per share, with a total value of $11,663,230.88. Following the acquisition, the director owned 3,348,372 shares in the company, valued at $14,197,097.28. This trade represents a 460.29% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO David Zawitz purchased 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $4.24 per share, for a total transaction of $42,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 21,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $89,040. The trade was a 90.91% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have bought 4,236,346 shares of company stock worth $17,962,107. Insiders own 54.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verrica Pharmaceuticals

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 44,275 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd acquired a new stake in Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 64.8% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 74,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 29,256 shares during the period. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $52,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 23.3% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 139,055 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 26,308 shares during the period. 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.