Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VRCA) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VRCA) has been given an average rating of “Reduce” by the four brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $17.00.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on VRCA. Wall Street Zen cut Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Zacks Research cut Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verrica Pharmaceuticals

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of VRCA. Affinity Asset Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at about $5,878,000. Armistice Capital LLC grew its position in Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 75.1% during the 4th quarter. Armistice Capital LLC now owns 1,118,925 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,298,000 after acquiring an additional 479,732 shares during the last quarter. Velan Capital Investment Management LP bought a new position in Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,919,000. Boothbay Fund Management LLC bought a new position in Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,210,000. Finally, Kalehua Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,959,000. 42.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ VRCA opened at $7.40 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $127.13 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.68 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 2.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. Verrica Pharmaceuticals has a 1-year low of $3.28 and a 1-year high of $9.82. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $5.94 and its 200 day moving average is $6.26.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 11th. The company reported ($0.51) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.43) by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $5.09 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.52 million. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Verrica Pharmaceuticals will post -2.24 EPS for the current fiscal 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.