Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) Shares Sold by Loomis Sayles & Co. L P

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P reduced its holdings in shares of Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) by 2.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,079,555 shares of the company’s stock after selling 31,541 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P owned about 1.35% of Verona Pharma worth $50,135,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Verona Pharma by 20.7% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,612 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 276 shares during the period. EMC Capital Management grew its holdings in Verona Pharma by 3,400.0% during the 4th quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 3,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $163,000 after acquiring an additional 3,400 shares in the last quarter. Wrapmanager Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Verona Pharma in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $207,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Verona Pharma in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $219,000. Finally, Transcend Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Verona Pharma during the 4th quarter worth $225,000. 85.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on VRNA shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Verona Pharma from $74.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Roth Mkm initiated coverage on Verona Pharma in a research report on Friday, January 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $68.00 target price on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price objective on shares of Verona Pharma from $44.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $57.00 target price (up from $44.00) on shares of Verona Pharma in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, HC Wainwright boosted their price target on shares of Verona Pharma from $60.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.14.

Verona Pharma Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:VRNA opened at $64.51 on Friday. Verona Pharma plc has a 1-year low of $11.39 and a 1-year high of $70.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 13.03 and a quick ratio of 12.88. The stock has a market cap of $5.21 billion, a P/E ratio of -33.60 and a beta of 0.39. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $61.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.01.

Insider Transactions at Verona Pharma

In related news, insider Kathleen A. Rickard sold 79,264 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.35, for a total value of $661,854.40. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 2,608,976 shares in the company, valued at $21,784,949.60. The trade was a 2.95 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 4.80% 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.