Janus Henderson Group PLC Increases Stake in Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA)

Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) by 12.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,031,994 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 228,633 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned approximately 2.51% of Verona Pharma worth $32,657,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VRNA. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in Verona Pharma during the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in shares of Verona Pharma by 950.2% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,495 shares of the company’s stock worth $89,000 after purchasing an additional 4,067 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verona Pharma during the 4th quarter worth about $226,000. Matisse Capital purchased a new stake in Verona Pharma in the 1st quarter valued at about $312,000. Finally, China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Verona Pharma by 35.8% during the first quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 20,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $325,000 after buying an additional 5,322 shares during the period. 85.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Kathleen A. Rickard sold 36,248 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1.96, for a total transaction of $71,046.08. Following the sale, the insider now owns 2,621,552 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,138,241.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 4.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Verona Pharma Stock Up 1.3 %

NASDAQ:VRNA traded up $0.28 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $22.31. The stock had a trading volume of 134,736 shares, compared to its average volume of 852,297. Verona Pharma plc has a twelve month low of $11.39 and a twelve month high of $23.72. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $16.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $16.34. The company has a current ratio of 18.40, a quick ratio of 18.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The company has a market capitalization of $1.80 billion, a PE ratio of -29.25 and a beta of 0.44.

Verona Pharma (NASDAQ:VRNA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 9th. The company reported ($0.32) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.24) by ($0.08). On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Verona Pharma plc will post -1.58 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VRNA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on shares of Verona Pharma from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Truist Financial raised their price target on Verona Pharma from $32.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 28th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Verona Pharma from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, HC Wainwright lifted their target price on Verona Pharma from $32.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 27th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target 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.