Mark W. Hahn Sells 80,784 Shares of Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) Stock

Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) CFO Mark W. Hahn sold 80,784 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.39, for a total transaction of $354,641.76. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 14,293,736 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $62,749,501.04. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Verona Pharma Stock Performance

VRNA opened at $37.59 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $31.28 and its 200 day moving average is $22.59. The company has a current ratio of 8.61, a quick ratio of 8.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company has a market cap of $3.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -19.58 and a beta of 0.42. Verona Pharma plc has a 12-month low of $11.39 and a 12-month high of $39.40.

Verona Pharma (NASDAQ:VRNA) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported ($0.56) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.44) by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $5.62 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.31 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.18) earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Verona Pharma plc will post -2.07 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on VRNA. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Verona Pharma from $38.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. HC Wainwright lifted their target price on Verona Pharma from $36.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Verona Pharma from $50.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price objective on Verona Pharma from $37.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.83.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Verona Pharma

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CWM LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Verona Pharma in the second quarter worth $29,000. EMC Capital Management bought a new position in Verona Pharma in the 2nd quarter worth $38,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 553 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Verona Pharma by 25.4% during the third 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 during the period. Finally, Legato Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Verona Pharma in the second quarter valued at about $154,000. Institutional investors own 85.88% of the company’s stock.

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.