17,174 Shares in Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) Acquired by Values First Advisors Inc.

Values First Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 17,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $494,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NEA Management Company LLC raised its holdings in Verona Pharma by 9.3% during the 2nd quarter. NEA Management Company LLC now owns 5,584,753 shares of the company’s stock worth $80,756,000 after purchasing an additional 476,190 shares during the last quarter. Frazier Life Sciences Management L.P. raised its holdings in Verona Pharma by 10.0% during the 2nd quarter. Frazier Life Sciences Management L.P. now owns 3,314,349 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,925,000 after purchasing an additional 300,000 shares during the last quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. raised its holdings in Verona Pharma by 74.2% during the 2nd quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. now owns 3,092,807 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,722,000 after purchasing an additional 1,316,998 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in Verona Pharma by 12.7% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,031,994 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,657,000 after purchasing an additional 228,633 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC raised its holdings in Verona Pharma by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,593,833 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,645,000 after purchasing an additional 8,448 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.88% of the company’s stock.

Verona Pharma Stock Performance

NASDAQ:VRNA opened at $34.43 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.75 billion, a P/E ratio of -44.71 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a fifty day moving average of $29.69 and a 200-day moving average of $21.26. The company has a quick ratio of 8.61, a current ratio of 8.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Verona Pharma plc has a twelve month low of $11.39 and a twelve month high of $35.62.

Verona Pharma (NASDAQ:VRNA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported ($0.88) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.35) by ($0.53). During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.11) EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Verona Pharma plc will post -2.07 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on VRNA shares. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on shares of Verona Pharma from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $36.00 price objective on shares of Verona Pharma in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Verona Pharma in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $50.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Verona Pharma from $38.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $39.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verona Pharma

In other Verona Pharma news, CEO David Zaccardelli sold 110,456 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.38, for a total transaction of $483,797.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 14,894,464 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,237,752.32. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Verona Pharma news, CFO Mark W. Hahn sold 116,696 shares of Verona Pharma stock in a transaction on Monday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.38, for a total transaction of $511,128.48. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 13,973,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,202,896.32. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO David Zaccardelli sold 110,456 shares of Verona Pharma stock in a transaction on Monday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.38, for a total transaction of $483,797.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 14,894,464 shares in the company, valued at $65,237,752.32. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 722,664 shares of company stock worth $3,165,268. 4.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.