Atika Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA - Free Report) by 194.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 212,000 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 140,000 shares during the quarter. Verona Pharma makes up about 1.0% of Atika Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Atika Capital Management LLC owned about 0.27% of Verona Pharma worth $9,845,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Verona Pharma by 20.7% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,612 shares of the company's stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Verona Pharma by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,166 shares of the company's stock valued at $279,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Verona Pharma by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 62,741 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,914,000 after purchasing an additional 660 shares during the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Verona Pharma by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 22,848 shares of the company's stock worth $1,061,000 after buying an additional 1,807 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EMC Capital Management raised its position in shares of Verona Pharma by 3,400.0% in the 4th quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 3,500 shares of the company's stock worth $163,000 after buying an additional 3,400 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.88% of the company's stock.
Verona Pharma Stock Up 5.7 %
Shares of VRNA stock traded up $3.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $57.02. 372,688 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,202,140. The company has a market capitalization of $4.61 billion, a P/E ratio of -29.73 and a beta of 0.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 12.88 and a current ratio of 13.03. Verona Pharma plc has a fifty-two week low of $11.39 and a fifty-two week high of $70.40. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $62.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $48.35.
Insider Transactions at Verona Pharma
In other news, insider Kathleen A. Rickard sold 79,264 shares of Verona Pharma stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.35, for a total value of $661,854.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 2,608,976 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,784,949.60. This trade represents a 2.95 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 4.80% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several equities research analysts have commented on VRNA shares. Roth Mkm started 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. HC Wainwright increased their target price on shares of Verona Pharma from $60.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Roth Capital set a $83.00 price target on shares of Verona Pharma in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price objective on shares of Verona Pharma from $44.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Verona Pharma from $74.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $69.14.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on VRNA
Verona Pharma Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
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