Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VRCA) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VRCA) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the four brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $14.50.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. HC Wainwright assumed coverage on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $12.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 20th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position 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 valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 44,275 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd acquired a new stake in Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter worth $28,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake 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 stake in Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth $52,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted 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 worth $61,000 after buying an additional 26,308 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.45% of the company’s stock.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 5.8%

VRCA stock opened at $6.12 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 2.10 and a quick ratio of 1.98. Verrica Pharmaceuticals has a 52-week low of $3.28 and a 52-week high of $9.82. The company has a 50-day moving average of $6.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $6.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $105.14 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.94 and a beta of 1.49.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 12th. The company reported ($0.41) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.59) by $0.18. The company had revenue of $5.02 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.51 million. Verrica Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 47.97% and a negative return on equity of 1,077.78%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Verrica Pharmaceuticals will post -1.84 EPS for the current year.

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.