Values First Advisors Inc. Has $1.09 Million Stock Position in Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA)

Values First Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) by 36.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 23,505 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 6,331 shares during the quarter. Values First Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Verona Pharma were worth $1,092,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Verona Pharma by 70.6% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,336 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 553 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Verona Pharma by 25.4% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 529 shares in the last quarter. EMC Capital Management lifted its holdings in shares of Verona Pharma by 3,400.0% during the 4th quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 3,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,000 after buying an additional 3,400 shares during the last quarter. Choreo LLC bought a new stake in shares of Verona Pharma in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $230,000. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Verona Pharma in the third quarter worth approximately $169,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.88% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verona Pharma

In related news, CEO David Zaccardelli sold 162,800 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.01, for a total value of $815,628.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 14,204,752 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,165,807.52. This trade represents a 1.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Mark W. Hahn sold 183,728 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.01, for a total value of $920,477.28. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 13,293,736 shares in the company, valued at $66,601,617.36. This represents a 1.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 952,488 shares of company stock valued at $4,743,881 in the last 90 days. 4.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on shares of Verona Pharma from $37.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Verona Pharma from $64.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $57.00 target price (up from $44.00) on shares of Verona Pharma in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Roth Mkm assumed coverage on Verona Pharma in a research note on Friday, January 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $68.00 price target for the company. Finally, HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 price objective (up from $42.00) on shares of Verona Pharma in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $53.14.

Verona Pharma Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:VRNA opened at $59.33 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 12.88 and a current ratio of 13.03. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $48.79 and its 200-day moving average is $37.32. The company has a market cap of $4.74 billion, a P/E ratio of -30.90 and a beta of 0.41. Verona Pharma plc has a 52-week low of $11.39 and a 52-week high of $62.00.

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.