Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) Shares Purchased by EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC

EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) by 3,074.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,158 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,964 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Verona Pharma were worth $286,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of VRNA. Atria Investments Inc acquired a new stake in Verona Pharma in the third quarter valued at approximately $548,000. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Verona Pharma in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $465,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Verona Pharma in the 3rd quarter valued at $849,000. Claro Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Verona Pharma during the 3rd quarter worth $209,000. Finally, First Turn Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Verona Pharma during the third quarter worth $16,483,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.88% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $57.00 price target (up from $44.00) on shares of Verona Pharma in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Roth Mkm began coverage on Verona Pharma in a report on Friday, January 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $68.00 price target for the company. HC Wainwright raised their price objective on shares of Verona Pharma from $60.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Roth Capital set a $83.00 price objective on shares of Verona Pharma in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on shares of Verona Pharma from $44.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Verona Pharma presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.14.

Verona Pharma Trading Down 6.1 %

Shares of Verona Pharma stock opened at $61.39 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 12.88 and a current ratio of 13.03. The company has a market capitalization of $4.96 billion, a P/E ratio of -31.97 and a beta of 0.39. Verona Pharma plc has a 1 year low of $11.39 and a 1 year high of $70.40. The company’s fifty day moving average is $58.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $43.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Verona Pharma news, insider Kathleen A. Rickard sold 79,264 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.35, for a total transaction of $661,854.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 2,608,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,784,949.60. This represents a 2.95 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 4.80% of the company’s stock.

Verona Pharma Profile

Verona Pharma plc, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on development and commercialization of therapies for the treatment of respiratory diseases with unmet medical needs. The company's product candidate is ensifentrine, an inhaled and dual inhibitor of the phosphodiesterase (PDE) 3 and PDE4 enzymes that acts as both a bronchodilator and an anti-inflammatory agent in a single compound, which is in Phase 3 clinical trials for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and cystic fibrosis.