Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Sell

Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on VRCA. HC Wainwright started coverage on Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $12.00 price target on the stock. Zacks Research raised Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Verrica Pharmaceuticals currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $14.50.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Verrica Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $5.76 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $6.08 and its 200 day moving average is $6.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 2.10 and a quick ratio of 1.98. The firm has a market cap of $98.96 million, a P/E ratio of -5.59 and a beta of 1.54. Verrica Pharmaceuticals has a one year low of $3.28 and a one year high of $9.82.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 12th. The company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.59) by $0.18. The company had revenue of $5.02 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.51 million. Verrica Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 1,077.78% and a negative net margin of 47.97%. As a group, research analysts expect that Verrica Pharmaceuticals will post -1.84 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verrica Pharmaceuticals

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 2,900 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 22.6% during the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 32,360 shares of the company’s stock valued at $171,000 after acquiring an additional 5,960 shares in the last quarter. Man Group plc bought a new stake in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $94,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $99,000. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter valued at approximately $52,000. 42.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

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.