Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) Stake Lifted by Affinity Asset Advisors LLC

Affinity Asset Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 660,000 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,000 shares during the period. Verona Pharma accounts for about 4.1% of Affinity Asset Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Affinity Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in Verona Pharma were worth $30,650,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VRNA. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new position in shares of Verona Pharma during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $710,000. Barclays PLC increased its position in Verona Pharma by 1,379.9% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 5,313 shares of the company’s stock valued at $246,000 after buying an additional 4,954 shares in the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC increased its position in Verona Pharma by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 17,958 shares of the company’s stock valued at $834,000 after buying an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Verona Pharma during the fourth quarter valued at $225,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new stake in Verona Pharma in the fourth quarter worth $720,000. Institutional investors own 85.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verona Pharma

In other news, insider Kathleen A. Rickard sold 79,264 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.35, for a total value of $661,854.40. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 2,608,976 shares in the company, valued at $21,784,949.60. This represents a 2.95 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 4.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on VRNA shares. Roth Mkm assumed coverage on Verona Pharma in a research report on Friday, January 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $68.00 price target for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on shares of Verona Pharma from $44.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $57.00 price target (up previously from $44.00) on shares of Verona Pharma in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Roth Capital set a $83.00 price objective on shares of Verona Pharma in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Verona Pharma from $74.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.14.

Verona Pharma Stock Up 0.2 %

VRNA opened at $57.81 on Tuesday. Verona Pharma plc has a twelve month low of $11.39 and a twelve month high of $70.40. The company has a quick ratio of 12.88, a current ratio of 13.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $62.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $48.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -30.11 and a beta of 0.16.

Verona Pharma Profile

Verona Pharma plc, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on development and commercialization of therapies for the treatment of respiratory diseases with unmet medical needs. The company's product candidate is ensifentrine, an inhaled and dual inhibitor of the phosphodiesterase (PDE) 3 and PDE4 enzymes that acts as both a bronchodilator and an anti-inflammatory agent in a single compound, which is in Phase 3 clinical trials for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and cystic fibrosis.