David Lee Johnson Sells 2,579 Shares of Vera Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VERA) Stock

Vera Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VERA) COO David Lee Johnson sold 2,579 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.98, for a total value of $108,266.42. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 45,727 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,919,619.46. The trade was a 5.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Vera Therapeutics Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of VERA stock opened at $42.35 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.61 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 12.21, a quick ratio of 12.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $46.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $35.35. Vera Therapeutics, Inc. has a twelve month low of $18.53 and a twelve month high of $56.05.

Vera Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VERA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported ($1.39) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.34) by ($0.05). During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.72) EPS. Research analysts forecast that Vera Therapeutics, Inc. will post -2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Headlines Impacting Vera Therapeutics

Here are the key news stories impacting Vera Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: FDA priority review and NEJM/ASN recognition for atacicept — Vera reported positive Phase 3 ORIGIN‑3 data for atacicept in IgA nephropathy that were presented at ASN Kidney Week and published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The FDA has granted priority review for the atacicept BLA with a PDUFA date of July 7, 2026, and the company expects a potential U.S. commercial launch in mid‑2026. Management also said recent 2025 equity and debt financings leave the company well‑capitalized into and beyond approval and launch. Vera Therapeutics Provides Business Update and Reports Full Year 2025 Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Financials/earnings update — Vera released FY‑2025 results and quarterly EPS figures; one report shows EPS of ($1.39) for the quarter (slightly missing consensus by ~$0.05). The results highlight continued operating losses but the company emphasizes runway provided by recent financings. Investors will focus on how close the company is to commercialization economics once/if atacicept is approved. View Press Release
• Negative Sentiment: Concentrated insider selling — multiple senior executives (including the CEO, CFO, COO and other officers) sold shares on Feb 23 at roughly $42/share (CEO Marshall Fordyce sold ~16,925 shares; other officers also reduced holdings). Such clustered insider sales can prompt investor caution and short‑term selling pressure despite the regulatory progress. Vera Therapeutics Insider Sells

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vera Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vera Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth about $297,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Vera Therapeutics by 193.3% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 89,851 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,550,000 after purchasing an additional 59,219 shares in the last quarter. KVP Capital Advisors LP purchased a new position in Vera Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,656,000. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in Vera Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $508,000. Finally, Virtus Investment Advisers LLC lifted its position in Vera Therapeutics by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC now owns 5,342 shares of the company’s stock valued at $271,000 after buying an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.21% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on VERA shares. Pivotal Research set a $73.00 price target on Vera Therapeutics in a report on Friday, December 5th. Wedbush upped their target price on Vera Therapeutics from $23.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Vera Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Vera Therapeutics from $48.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Vera Therapeutics in a report on Friday, December 5th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $78.80.

About Vera Therapeutics

Vera Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel immunotherapies that harness the body’s own regulatory T cells to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. By leveraging a proprietary protein engineering platform, the company designs Treg-selective cytokine variants intended to restore immune balance and provide targeted, disease-modifying effects. Its pipeline comprises multiple preclinical and clinical candidates aimed at indications characterized by chronic inflammation and autoimmunity.

Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Vera Therapeutics collaborates with leading academic and research institutions to advance its development programs.