43,748 Shares in Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) Acquired by Jacobson & Schmitt Advisors LLC

Jacobson & Schmitt Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 43,748 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,032,000. Jacobson & Schmitt Advisors LLC owned 0.05% of Verona Pharma as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VRNA. Maverick Capital Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Verona Pharma by 36.3% during the 3rd quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. now owns 4,215,973 shares of the company's stock valued at $121,294,000 after acquiring an additional 1,123,166 shares during the period. Frazier Life Sciences Management L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Verona Pharma by 2.1% during the third quarter. Frazier Life Sciences Management L.P. now owns 3,383,950 shares of the company's stock valued at $97,356,000 after purchasing an additional 69,601 shares during the period. Eventide Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Verona Pharma by 359.6% during the 3rd quarter. Eventide Asset Management LLC now owns 2,425,846 shares of the company's stock worth $69,792,000 after purchasing an additional 1,898,065 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its stake in shares of Verona Pharma by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,889,542 shares of the company's stock valued at $87,750,000 after buying an additional 148,656 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Verona Pharma by 19.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,878,632 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,048,000 after buying an additional 307,272 shares during the period. 85.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VRNA has been the topic of a number of research reports. Truist Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $57.00 price target (up from $44.00) on shares of Verona Pharma in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Roth Mkm assumed coverage on Verona Pharma in a report on Friday, January 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $68.00 target price on the stock. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and set a $60.00 price target (up previously from $42.00) on shares of Verona Pharma in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Verona Pharma from $64.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target 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. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $57.14.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verona Pharma

In other news, insider Kathleen A. Rickard sold 240,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.90, for a total transaction of $1,176,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 2,671,480 shares in the company, valued at $13,090,252. This represents a 8.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO David Zaccardelli sold 162,800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.01, for a total transaction of $815,628.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 14,204,752 shares of the company's stock, valued at $71,165,807.52. This trade represents a 1.13 % 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 company insiders.

Verona Pharma Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ VRNA traded up $4.04 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $68.23. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,698,694 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,496,927. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $52.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $39.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -35.51 and a beta of 0.41. Verona Pharma plc has a one year low of $11.39 and a one year high of $68.64. The company has a current ratio of 13.03, a quick ratio of 12.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93.

About Verona Pharma

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.