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Buckley Capital Advisors, an investment management company, released its first quarter 2025 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. The fund returned -0.5% (net) in the quarter compared to -7.7% return for iShares Russell 2000 Value Index and -9.5% return for the iShares Russell 2000 Index. In the quarter, Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff plans increased economic uncertainty. Although tariffs directly impact less than 5% of the portfolio, the firm was prepared for this situation. However, the widespread selling of stocks affected it significantly. The firm focuses on the fundamentally strong companies regardless of the economic environment. In addition, you can check the fund’s top 5 holdings to determine its best picks for 2025.
In its first-quarter 2025 investor letter, Buckley Capital Advisors highlighted stocks such as Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA). Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) is a biopharmaceutical company. The one-month return of Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) was 23.24%, and its shares gained 350.61% of their value over the last 52 weeks. On May 7, 2025, Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) stock closed at $69.14 per share with a market capitalization of $8.699 billion.
Buckley Capital Advisors stated the following regarding Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) in its Q1 2025 investor letter:
"Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) has developed a product called ensifentrine (Ohtuvayre), a bronchodilator and anti-inflammatory agent for maintenance treatment of COPD. COPD, more commonly known as smoker’s lung, is caused by pollution or smoking. Diagnosis of COPD lowers life expectancy by approximately 6 years. Symptoms of COPD are shortness of breath, cough, wheezing, and sputum. COPD affects approximately 400 million people worldwide, with 8.6m people treated in the United States.
A patient in a clinic, taking a medication dose from a nebulizer to treat a respiratory disease.
Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) is not on our list of 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 42 hedge fund portfolios held Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) at the end of the fourth quarter, compared to 25 in the third quarter. Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) reported revenue of $76.3 million in the first quarter, which was in line with prior quarters. While we acknowledge the potential of Verona Pharma plc (NASDAQ:VRNA) as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is as promising as NVIDIA but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.