Citigroup Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ:RARE) Stock Price

Key Points

• Citigroup cut Ultragenyx’s price target from $58 to $28 but maintained a “buy” rating, implying 88.3% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment has weakened broadly after the failed Phase 3 Aspire trial, with several firms downgrading the stock or sharply reducing targets; nevertheless, the consensus view remains “Moderate Buy” with a $39.37 target.
• Shares fell $11.66 to $14.87, near their 52-week low, despite the company beating quarterly revenue and EPS estimates. Ultragenyx remains unprofitable, with analysts expecting a full-year loss of $3.97 per share.

Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ:RARE - Get Free Report) had its price objective cut by investment analysts at Citigroup from $58.00 to $28.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "buy" rating on the biopharmaceutical company's stock. Citigroup's price target points to a potential upside of 88.30% from the stock's previous close.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Evercore lowered Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical from an "outperform" rating to an "in-line" rating and set a $16.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their target price on Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical from $103.00 to $33.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. HC Wainwright lowered their price target on Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical from $50.00 to $25.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $36.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $39.37.

Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Price Performance

Shares of RARE stock traded down $11.66 on Thursday, hitting $14.87. The company's stock had a trading volume of 15,511,016 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,321,293. Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical has a fifty-two week low of $13.81 and a fifty-two week high of $39.89. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $28.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $25.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.54 and a beta of 0.31.

Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ:RARE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.90) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.22) by $0.32. Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical had a negative net margin of 81.79% and a negative return on equity of 1,024.42%. The firm had revenue of $214.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $183.08 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($1.17) earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 28.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical will post -3.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Corazon (Corsee) D. Sanders sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.05, for a total transaction of $50,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 21,095 shares in the company, valued at $528,429.75. This represents a 8.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Karah Herdman Parschauer sold 1,899 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.62, for a total value of $46,753.38. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 94,462 shares in the company, valued at $2,325,654.44. This trade represents a 1.97% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical by 662.9% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,152 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,001 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in shares of Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical during the 3rd quarter worth about $39,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical during the 2nd quarter worth about $48,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical during the second quarter valued at about $52,000. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical by 778.4% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,625 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 1,440 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.67% of the company's stock.

Key Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical News

Here are the key news stories impacting Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts still see substantial long-term value in Ultragenyx’s commercial portfolio and remaining pipeline. Canaccord Genuity, Cantor Fitzgerald, and HC Wainwright maintained “buy” or “overweight” ratings, with price targets of $37, $33, and $25, respectively. Analyst rating reports
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street attention is shifting toward Ultragenyx’s established commercial business and potential cost reductions following the trial failure, which could help preserve cash and support operations. Barron's report on Ultragenyx
• Positive Sentiment: The company recently reported encouraging 96-week data for GENGLYCOS (DTX401) in glycogen storage disease type Ia, including a 61% average reduction in daily cornstarch use while maintaining glycemic control. Ultragenyx GENGLYCOS trial publication
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite the widespread target reductions, some analysts’ revised targets remain above the current trading level, including JPMorgan’s $36 target and Wedbush’s $23 target. However, both firms moved to “neutral,” indicating reduced conviction after the clinical setback. JPMorgan analyst update
• Negative Sentiment: Ultragenyx said the Phase 3 Aspire study of its Angelman syndrome drug did not achieve either the primary endpoint—change in Bayley-4 cognitive score—or the key secondary MDRI endpoint. The failure undermines one of the company’s largest expected growth opportunities. Ultragenyx Aspire Phase 3 results
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts responded with a broad reassessment: Bank of America, William Blair, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan, Evercore, Wedbush, and Baird downgraded or moved to neutral-equivalent ratings. Price targets were cut substantially, including Baird’s reduction from $40 to $16 and Wells Fargo’s from $50 to $18. Baird downgrade report

About Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical

Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapies for rare and ultra-rare genetic disorders. Since its founding in 2010 and headquarters in Novato, California, the company has built expertise in protein replacement therapies, small molecules and gene therapy approaches to address high-unmet medical needs. Ultragenyx applies a precision medicine model, leveraging both in-house research and strategic collaborations to advance its product pipeline from discovery through regulatory approval.

The company's commercial portfolio includes Crysvita (burosumab-tmyl) for X-linked hypophosphatemia, Mepsevii (vestronidase alfa-vjbk) for mucopolysaccharidosis VII and Dojolvi (triheptanoin) for long-chain fatty acid oxidation disorders.

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