Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) CFO Sells $511,128.48 in Stock

Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) CFO Mark W. Hahn sold 116,696 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.38, for a total value of $511,128.48. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 13,973,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,202,896.32. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Verona Pharma Stock Performance

Shares of VRNA opened at $34.93 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $29.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $21.26. The stock has a market cap of $2.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -45.36 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. Verona Pharma plc has a one year low of $11.39 and a one year high of $35.62.

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 in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.11) EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Verona Pharma plc will post -2.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on VRNA shares. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Verona Pharma in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $50.00 target price on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price objective on shares of Verona Pharma from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Verona Pharma from $38.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and issued a $36.00 price target on shares of Verona Pharma in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $39.33.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Verona Pharma

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VRNA. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Verona Pharma by 71.4% during the 1st quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 67,365 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,084,000 after acquiring an additional 28,071 shares in the last quarter. Matisse Capital purchased a new position in Verona Pharma during the first quarter valued at approximately $312,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in Verona Pharma by 1,054.4% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 23,412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $377,000 after buying an additional 21,384 shares during the period. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Verona Pharma in the 1st quarter worth approximately $412,000. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC lifted its position in Verona Pharma by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,593,833 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,645,000 after buying an additional 8,448 shares in the last quarter. 85.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.