Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on VRCA. Wall Street Zen downgraded Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. raised Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $17.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Loop Capital set a $17.00 price target on Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $17.00.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 3.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:VRCA traded down $0.21 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $5.62. 5,633 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 138,202. Verrica Pharmaceuticals has a 1-year low of $3.28 and a 1-year high of $9.82. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $5.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $5.91. The company has a quick ratio of 2.45, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The firm has a market cap of $96.47 million, a P/E ratio of -3.55 and a beta of 1.42.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The company reported ($0.51) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.43) by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $5.09 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.52 million. Analysts anticipate that Verrica Pharmaceuticals will post -1.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VRCA. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 347.5% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 143,818 shares of the company’s stock valued at $101,000 after acquiring an additional 111,678 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 64.8% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 74,388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 29,256 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 306.7% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 58,711 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 44,275 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 23.3% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 139,055 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 26,308 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $66,000. 42.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Verrica Pharmaceuticals

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc is a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of topical therapies for dermatological conditions. Its lead investigational product, VP-102, is a standardized formulation of cantharidin in a pre-measured applicator designed to treat molluscum contagiosum and common warts. Verrica’s approach emphasizes consistency of dosing and patient convenience, aiming to improve upon off‐label use of existing treatments.

Beyond VP-102, Verrica is advancing VP-103, a next‐generation topical candidate intended to optimize tolerability while maintaining efficacy against viral skin lesions.