Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) Cut to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Saturday.

Several other research firms have also commented on VRCA. Brookline Capital Acquisition upgraded shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $17.00 price target for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Zacks Research raised shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Loop Capital set a $17.00 price target on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $17.00.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

NASDAQ:VRCA opened at $6.91 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $7.83 and a 200-day moving average of $5.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $110.49 million, a PE ratio of -2.03 and a beta of 1.46. Verrica Pharmaceuticals has a 52 week low of $3.28 and a 52 week high of $9.82.

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

Insider Activity at Verrica Pharmaceuticals

In other news, CEO Jayson Rieger purchased 94,311 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $4.24 per share, for a total transaction of $399,878.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 182,593 shares in the company, valued at $774,194.32. This trade represents a 106.83% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul B. Manning acquired 2,750,762 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $4.24 per share, for a total transaction of $11,663,230.88. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 3,348,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,197,097.28. This represents a 460.29% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have purchased 4,236,346 shares of company stock worth $17,962,107 over the last quarter. 54.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 347.5% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 143,818 shares of the company’s stock valued at $101,000 after acquiring an additional 111,678 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 64.8% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 74,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 29,256 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 306.7% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 23.3% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 139,055 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 26,308 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter worth approximately $99,000. 42.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.