Wall Street Zen Upgrades Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) to Hold

Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on VRCA. Zacks Research upgraded Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. HC Wainwright started coverage on Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $12.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Verrica Pharmaceuticals has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $14.50.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $5.63 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The company has a market cap of $96.72 million, a PE ratio of -5.47 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a 50 day moving average of $6.29 and a 200-day moving average of $6.62. Verrica Pharmaceuticals has a 1-year low of $3.28 and a 1-year high of $9.82.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of VRCA. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 306.7% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 58,711 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 44,275 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd bought a new stake in Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 64.8% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 74,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 29,256 shares in the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Verrica Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth about $52,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 23.3% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 139,055 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 26,308 shares during the last quarter. 42.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.