Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) Lowered to “Hold” Rating by Zacks Research

Zacks Research downgraded shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on VRCA. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wall Street Zen cut Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Brookline Capital Acquisition upgraded shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $17.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Loop Capital set a $17.00 target price on shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $17.00.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

VRCA stock opened at $5.98 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $95.62 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.75 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a 50-day moving average of $6.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $5.86. Verrica Pharmaceuticals has a 52-week low of $3.28 and a 52-week high of $9.82.

Verrica Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRCA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 11th. The company reported ($0.51) EPS 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 analyst estimates of $4.52 million. Equities analysts expect that Verrica Pharmaceuticals will post -1.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verrica Pharmaceuticals

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VRCA. Armistice Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. Armistice Capital LLC now owns 8,881,344 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,708,000 after acquiring an additional 313,944 shares during the period. Affinity Asset Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,878,000. Velan Capital Investment Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,919,000. Boothbay Fund Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at $1,210,000. Finally, Kalehua Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Verrica Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at $1,959,000. 42.45% of the stock is currently 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.