Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) Stock Holdings Increased by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) by 56.6% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 878,043 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 317,184 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Verona Pharma were worth $12,697,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Candriam S.C.A. bought a new stake in shares of Verona Pharma in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $11,177,000. Eventide Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Verona Pharma by 62.1% in the 4th quarter. Eventide Asset Management LLC now owns 1,377,781 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,390,000 after buying an additional 527,781 shares during the last quarter. Bellevue Group AG boosted its holdings in shares of Verona Pharma by 35.6% in the 1st quarter. Bellevue Group AG now owns 1,139,295 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,331,000 after buying an additional 299,299 shares during the period. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC grew its position in shares of Verona Pharma by 39.0% during the 2nd quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC now owns 939,576 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,586,000 after buying an additional 263,819 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Affinity Asset Advisors LLC raised its stake in Verona Pharma by 45.1% during the first quarter. Affinity Asset Advisors LLC now owns 817,833 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,159,000 after acquiring an additional 254,009 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 85.88% of the company’s stock.

Verona Pharma Stock Up 2.0 %

VRNA opened at $29.99 on Friday. 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 $30.73. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $25.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.76. The stock has a market cap of $2.44 billion, a P/E ratio of -38.95 and a beta of 0.44.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on VRNA shares. Truist Financial upped their target price on Verona Pharma from $32.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 28th. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and set a $36.00 price objective on shares of Verona Pharma in a research note on Tuesday, September 17th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on shares of Verona Pharma from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $36.00.

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.