Moody Aldrich Partners LLC Sells 43,193 Shares of Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA)

Moody Aldrich Partners LLC decreased its stake in shares of Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA - Free Report) by 14.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 252,752 shares of the company's stock after selling 43,193 shares during the period. Verona Pharma accounts for approximately 1.3% of Moody Aldrich Partners LLC's holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Moody Aldrich Partners LLC owned about 0.32% of Verona Pharma worth $7,272,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CWM LLC bought a new stake in shares of Verona Pharma during the second quarter worth $29,000. EMC Capital Management bought a new stake in Verona Pharma during the 2nd quarter worth about $38,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Verona Pharma by 70.6% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,336 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 553 shares during the last quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Verona Pharma during the 2nd quarter valued at about $154,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in shares of Verona Pharma in the 2nd quarter valued at about $195,000. Institutional investors own 85.88% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Verona Pharma

In other Verona Pharma news, CEO David Zaccardelli sold 110,456 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.38, for a total transaction of $483,797.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 14,894,464 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,237,752.32. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CFO Mark W. Hahn sold 116,696 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.38, for a total value of $511,128.48. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 13,973,264 shares in the company, valued at $61,202,896.32. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO David Zaccardelli sold 110,456 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.38, for a total value of $483,797.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 14,894,464 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $65,237,752.32. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 722,664 shares of company stock worth $3,165,268. 4.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Verona Pharma Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ VRNA traded down $0.50 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $34.43. 604,214 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 914,117. Verona Pharma plc has a 12 month low of $11.39 and a 12 month high of $35.62. The company has a market capitalization of $2.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -22.36 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 8.61 and a quick ratio of 8.61. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $29.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.26.

Verona Pharma (NASDAQ:VRNA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported ($0.88) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.35) by ($0.53). During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.11) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Verona Pharma plc will post -2.07 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VRNA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and set a $36.00 price target on shares of Verona Pharma in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on shares of Verona Pharma from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Truist Financial raised their price target on Verona Pharma from $38.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on 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, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $39.33.

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.