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

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VRCA) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $17.00.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Brookline Capital Management raised Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $17.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Loop Capital set a $17.00 price objective on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th.

Insider Transactions at Verrica Pharmaceuticals

In related news, COO David Zawitz bought 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $4.24 per share, for a total transaction of $42,400.00. Following the acquisition, the chief operating officer owned 21,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $89,040. This represents a 90.91% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Jayson Rieger acquired 94,311 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were bought at an average price of $4.24 per share, for a total transaction of $399,878.64. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 182,593 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $774,194.32. This trade represents a 106.83% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have acquired a total of 4,236,346 shares of company stock valued at $17,962,107 over the last 90 days. 54.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Verrica Pharmaceuticals

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Armistice Capital LLC raised its position in Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. Armistice Capital LLC now owns 8,881,344 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,708,000 after buying an additional 313,944 shares during the last quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,210,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter worth $99,000. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter worth $66,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 347.5% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 143,818 shares of the company’s stock valued at $101,000 after purchasing an additional 111,678 shares in the last quarter. 42.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VRCA opened at $6.61 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $105.69 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.94 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a 50 day moving average of $7.88 and a 200-day moving average of $5.95. 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.14) by $1.27. The business had revenue of $14.34 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.34 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that Verrica Pharmaceuticals will post -1.46 earnings per share for the current 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.