Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) Shares Sold by Samsara BioCapital LLC

Samsara BioCapital LLC trimmed its holdings in Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) by 50.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 97,625 shares of the company’s stock after selling 97,600 shares during the quarter. Verona Pharma accounts for about 0.6% of Samsara BioCapital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Samsara BioCapital LLC’s holdings in Verona Pharma were worth $4,534,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Verona Pharma by 288.8% during the fourth quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 79,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,687,000 after purchasing an additional 58,978 shares during the last quarter. Darwin Global Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Verona Pharma in the 4th quarter worth $37,637,000. AdvisorShares Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Verona Pharma during the fourth quarter valued at $838,000. Northern Trust Corp acquired a new position in shares of Verona Pharma in the 4th quarter valued at $362,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in Verona Pharma by 20.5% in the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 126,730 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,885,000 after purchasing an additional 21,571 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.88% of the company’s stock.

Verona Pharma Price Performance

Shares of VRNA stock opened at $73.21 on Wednesday. Verona Pharma plc has a 12 month low of $11.39 and a 12 month high of $74.18. The company has a market capitalization of $5.92 billion, a P/E ratio of -38.13 and a beta of 0.16. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $62.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $51.22. The company has a current ratio of 13.03, a quick ratio of 12.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VRNA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $57.00 target price (up from $44.00) on shares of Verona Pharma in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. TD Cowen began coverage on Verona Pharma in a research note on Monday. They set a “buy” rating and a $100.00 target price on the stock. HC Wainwright boosted their price objective on shares of Verona Pharma from $60.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Roth Mkm started coverage on shares of Verona Pharma in a research report on Friday, January 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $68.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Verona Pharma in a research note on Monday. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Verona Pharma currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $78.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Verona Pharma news, insider Kathleen A. Rickard sold 79,264 shares of Verona Pharma 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 2,608,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,784,949.60. The trade was a 2.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 4.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Verona Pharma Company 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.