China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. Purchases 5,691 Shares of Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA)

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) by 37.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,041 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,691 shares during the period. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Verona Pharma were worth $605,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VRNA. CWM LLC bought a new position in Verona Pharma during the second quarter valued at $29,000. EMC Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Verona Pharma during the second quarter worth $38,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Verona Pharma by 70.6% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,336 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 553 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of 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 worth $75,000 after acquiring an additional 529 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legato Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Verona Pharma during the second quarter worth $154,000. 85.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verona Pharma

In other Verona Pharma news, CFO Mark W. Hahn sold 249,728 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.38, for a total transaction of $1,093,808.64. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 14,089,960 shares in the company, valued at $61,714,024.80. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Verona Pharma news, CFO Mark W. Hahn sold 116,696 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.38, for a total transaction of $511,128.48. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 13,973,264 shares in the company, valued at $61,202,896.32. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Mark W. Hahn sold 249,728 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.38, for a total value of $1,093,808.64. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 14,089,960 shares in the company, valued at $61,714,024.80. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 868,840 shares of company stock worth $3,805,519 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 4.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on Verona Pharma from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Truist Financial increased their target price on Verona Pharma from $38.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of Verona Pharma in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Verona Pharma in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $50.00 target price on the stock. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $39.33.

Verona Pharma Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of VRNA stock opened at $33.67 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 8.61 and a current ratio of 8.61. Verona Pharma plc has a 52-week low of $11.39 and a 52-week high of $35.62. The company has a market capitalization of $2.69 billion, a PE ratio of -43.73 and a beta of 0.44. The business’s fifty day moving average is $30.19 and its 200 day moving average is $21.79.

Verona Pharma (NASDAQ:VRNA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported ($0.88) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.35) by ($0.53). During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.11) earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Verona Pharma plc will post -2.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verona Pharma 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.