You might want to take a look at Verona Pharma plc (VRNA) now

Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ: VRNA) stock jumped 1.06% on Wednesday to $21.84 against a previous-day closing price of $21.61. With 0.67 million shares changed hands, the volume of the stock remained heavier than its average volume of 0.55 million shares. During the session, the Biotechnology company that operates in wider Healthcare sector, reached to the highest price of $22.00 whereas the lowest price it dropped to was $20.98. The 52-week range on VRNA shows that it touched its highest point at $26.44 and its lowest point at $3.85 during that stretch. It currently has a 1-year price target of $31.43. Beta for the stock currently stands at 0.20.

Price Performance and Earnings:

Stock performance is one of the indicators that investors use to determine whether they will profit from a stock. The price performance of VRNA was up-trending over the past week, with a rise of 12.40%, but this was down by -3.34% over a month. Three-month performance surged to 1.91% while six-month performance rose 73.75%. The stock gained 427.54% in the past year, while it has lost -16.42% so far this year. A look at the trailing 12-month EPS for VRNA yields -0.88 with Next year EPS estimates of -1.10. For the next quarter, that number is -0.29. This implies an EPS growth rate of -10.60% for this year and 2.70% for next year.

Float and Shares Shorts:

At present, 77.68 million VRNA shares are outstanding with a float of 71.06 million shares on hand for trading. On May 14, 2023, short shares totaled 2.34 million, which was 2.94% higher than short shares on Apr 13, 2023. In addition to Dr. David S. Zaccardelli as the firm’s Pres, CEO & Exec. Director, Mr. Mark W. Hahn serves as its Chief Financial Officer.

Institutional Ownership:

Through their ownership of 69.93% of VRNA’s outstanding shares, institutional investors have majority control over the company. Other institutions hold 37.66% of VRNA, in contrast to 10.97% held by mutual funds. Shares owned by individuals account for –. As the largest shareholder in VRNA with 8.00% of the stake, RA Capital Management LP holds 6,317,990 shares worth 6,317,990. A second-largest stockholder of VRNA, Fidelity Management & Research Co, holds 4,560,882 shares, controlling over 5.77% of the firm’s shares. Wellington Management Co. LLP is the third largest shareholder in VRNA, holding 3,291,473 shares or 4.17% stake. With a 0.97% stake in VRNA, the Fidelity Advisor Series VII – Bio is the largest stakeholder. A total of 768,067 shares are owned by the mutual fund manager. The Fidelity Select Port. – Biotechno, which owns about 0.92% of VRNA stock, is the second-largest Mutual Fund holder. It holds 722,601 shares valued at 15.14 million. PGIM Jennison Health Sciences Fun holds 0.89% of the stake in VRNA, owning 699,240 shares worth 14.65 million.

An Overview of Recent Financials:

Understanding a company as a customer does not mean you will understand it as an investor. The wise investor uses quantitative research to analyze metrics such as revenue, net income, and earnings. In its fiscal quarter reported on Mar 30, 2023, VRNA reported revenue of $0.00 and operating income of -$15.10M. The EBITDA in the recently reported quarter was -$14.77M and diluted EPS was -$0.32.

Analysts Ratings:

Reading analyst opinions is an effective way to decide where to invest, and there are several opinions available for VRNA since 0 analysts follow the stock currently. In the same way, a target price assigned to a stock can also reveal much about its potential. With VRNA analysts setting a high price target of $38.00 and a low target of $28.00, the average target price over the next 12 months is $31.86. Based on these targets, VRNA could surge 73.99% to reach the target high and rise by 28.21% to reach the target low. Reaching the average price target will result in a growth of 45.88% from current levels.

EPS: Estimates vs Actual

It is also common to use earnings estimates to evaluate a firm’s growth potential and to determine trading strategy.