Short Interest in Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VRCA) Decreases By 26.2%

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VRCA) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 380,561 shares, a decline of 26.2% from the November 30th total of 515,613 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 275,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.4 days. Currently, 5.2% of the company’s stock are sold short. Currently, 5.2% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 275,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.4 days.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Armistice Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 3.7% during the second 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. Sovran Advisors LLC increased its stake in Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 91.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC now owns 750,391 shares of the company’s stock valued at $398,000 after buying an additional 358,228 shares during the period. Boothbay Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,210,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter worth about $99,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 347.5% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 143,818 shares of the company’s stock worth $101,000 after buying an additional 111,678 shares in the last quarter. 42.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Loop Capital set a $17.00 price target on Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Brookline Capital Management upgraded Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $17.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $17.00.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $8.20 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $131.12 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.40 and a beta of 1.48. Verrica Pharmaceuticals has a twelve month low of $3.28 and a twelve month high of $9.82. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $5.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $5.79.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 14th. The company reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.14) by $1.27. The company had revenue of $14.34 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.34 million. Sell-side analysts predict 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.