Mark W. Hahn Sells 116,696 Shares of Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) Stock

Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) CFO Mark W. Hahn sold 116,696 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.38, for a total transaction of $511,128.48. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 13,973,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,202,896.32. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Verona Pharma Trading Up 0.2 %

NASDAQ:VRNA opened at $34.93 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.79 billion, a P/E ratio of -45.36 and a beta of 0.44. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $29.69 and a 200 day simple moving average of $21.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 8.61 and a quick ratio of 8.61. Verona Pharma plc has a 12-month low of $11.39 and a 12-month high of $35.62.

Verona Pharma (NASDAQ:VRNA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported ($0.88) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.35) by ($0.53). During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.11) EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Verona Pharma plc will post -2.07 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price target on Verona Pharma from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $36.00 target price on shares of Verona Pharma in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Truist Financial upped their price target on Verona Pharma from $38.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Verona Pharma in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $50.00 price objective for the company. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Verona Pharma has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $39.33.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verona Pharma

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Verona Pharma by 71.4% in the 1st quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 67,365 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,084,000 after acquiring an additional 28,071 shares during the period. Matisse Capital acquired a new position in shares of Verona Pharma during the first quarter valued at $312,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in shares of Verona Pharma by 1,054.4% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 23,412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $377,000 after purchasing an additional 21,384 shares in the last quarter. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Verona Pharma in the first quarter worth about $412,000. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC grew its position in Verona Pharma by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,593,833 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,645,000 after buying an additional 8,448 shares in the last quarter. 85.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Verona Pharma Company 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.