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

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

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. HC Wainwright started coverage on Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $12.00 target price 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 25th.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 0.8%

VRCA stock opened at $5.22 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.68 million, a PE ratio of -5.07 and a beta of 1.47. Verrica Pharmaceuticals has a 52 week low of $3.28 and a 52 week high of $9.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $5.86 and a 200 day moving average of $6.14.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 12th. The company reported ($0.41) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.59) by $0.18. The business 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Verrica Pharmaceuticals will post -1.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp lifted its position in Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 14.1% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 23,481 shares of the company’s stock valued at $195,000 after purchasing an additional 2,900 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 22.6% during the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 32,360 shares of the company’s stock valued at $171,000 after buying an additional 5,960 shares during the last quarter. Man Group plc purchased a new position in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at about $94,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at about $99,000. Finally, Beck Mack & Oliver LLC acquired a new position in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at about $100,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.45% of the company’s stock.

About Verrica Pharmaceuticals

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.