6,576 Shares in Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) Acquired by Shilanski & Associates Inc.

Shilanski & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 6,576 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $305,000.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in VRNA. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Verona Pharma by 70.6% in 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. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in Verona Pharma by 25.4% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,610 shares of the company's stock valued at $75,000 after acquiring an additional 529 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Verona Pharma in the third quarter worth about $169,000. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in Verona Pharma in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $195,000. Finally, Claro Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Verona Pharma during the third quarter worth $209,000. 85.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on VRNA. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $60.00 target price (up previously from $42.00) on shares of Verona Pharma in a research report on Tuesday. 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. Truist Financial restated a "buy" rating and set a $57.00 price objective (up from $44.00) on shares of Verona Pharma in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on shares of Verona Pharma from $37.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Roth Capital raised Verona Pharma to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $53.14.

Insider Transactions at Verona Pharma

In other Verona Pharma news, CEO David Zaccardelli sold 46,888 shares of Verona Pharma stock in a transaction on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.38, for a total value of $205,369.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 15,298,896 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $67,009,164.48. The trade was a 0.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 13,293,736 shares of the company's stock, valued at $66,601,617.36. The trade was a 1.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,225,592 shares of company stock worth $5,943,314. Company insiders own 4.80% of the company's stock.

Verona Pharma Price Performance

NASDAQ:VRNA traded up $1.04 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $55.12. 459,320 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,679,794. The company has a market capitalization of $4.48 billion, a P/E ratio of -28.63 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 13.03 and a quick ratio of 12.88. The business has a 50 day moving average of $43.79 and a 200 day moving average of $33.79. Verona Pharma plc has a 1-year low of $11.39 and a 1-year high of $55.91.

Verona Pharma (NASDAQ:VRNA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported ($0.56) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.44) by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $5.62 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.31 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.18) earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Verona Pharma plc will post -1.95 EPS for the current year.

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.