Brokerages Set Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VRCA) Price Target at $17.00

Shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VRCA) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation, two have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $17.00.

Several research analysts have commented on VRCA shares. Loop Capital set a $17.00 price objective on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Brookline Capital Management upgraded Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $17.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Zacks Research raised Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th.

Insider Transactions at Verrica Pharmaceuticals

In related news, CEO Jayson Rieger bought 94,311 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $4.24 per share, with a total value of $399,878.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 182,593 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $774,194.32. The trade was a 106.83% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul B. Manning purchased 2,750,762 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was bought at an average price of $4.24 per share, for a total transaction of $11,663,230.88. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,348,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,197,097.28. This trade represents a 460.29% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have bought 4,236,346 shares of company stock valued at $17,962,107. 54.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sovran Advisors LLC raised its position in Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 91.3% during the second quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC now owns 750,391 shares of the company’s stock valued at $398,000 after acquiring an additional 358,228 shares in the last quarter. Armistice Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Armistice Capital LLC now owns 8,881,344 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,708,000 after purchasing an additional 313,944 shares in the last quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,210,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $99,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at $66,000. 42.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

NASDAQ:VRCA opened at $8.02 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $128.24 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.35 and a beta of 1.45. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $6.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $5.96. Verrica Pharmaceuticals has a one year low of $3.28 and a one year high of $9.82.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 14th. The company reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.14) by $1.27. The business had revenue of $14.34 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.34 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that Verrica Pharmaceuticals will post -1.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.