Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VRCA) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VRCA) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the six brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $9.60.

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. HC Wainwright lowered Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Brookline Capital Management reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals from $15.00 to $10.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 21st. Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $11.00 to $2.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Verrica Pharmaceuticals

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Simplify Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter valued at $2,041,000. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at about $335,000. Verition Fund Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth about $89,000. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 13.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 512,821 shares of the company’s stock worth $744,000 after acquiring an additional 61,041 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter valued at approximately $332,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.45% of the company’s stock.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

VRCA opened at $0.89 on Friday. Verrica Pharmaceuticals has a 12-month low of $0.70 and a 12-month high of $11.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.58, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.58 million, a PE ratio of -0.49 and a beta of 1.45. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $1.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $4.74.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported ($0.49) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.37) by ($0.12). The company had revenue of ($1.78) million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.53 million. Verrica Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 625.06% and a negative return on equity of 591.84%. As a group, research analysts expect that Verrica Pharmaceuticals will post -1.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc, a clinical-stage dermatology therapeutics company, develops medications for the treatment of skin diseases in the United States. Its product pipeline comprises YCANTH (VP-102), which is in phase III clinical trial for the treatment of common warts; and has completed phase II clinical trial for the treatment of external genital warts.