Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:ARCT) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst consensus: Thirteen brokers give Arcturus a "Moderate Buy" consensus (9 buys, 3 holds, 1 sell) with an average 12‑month price target of $29.50, though several firms have sharply cut targets recently (Piper Sandler $72→$25, Citi $66→$21) and some downgraded to sell.
• Weak recent results: Shares opened at $6.72 with a $191M market cap, and the company missed quarterly expectations (EPS -$1.03 vs. -$0.92; revenue $7.2M vs. $14.32M), with analysts forecasting -2.22 EPS for the year.
• High institutional ownership: Institutional investors own about 94.54% of the stock, with recent stake changes including Invesco increasing its holding and several new institutional purchases.

Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:ARCT - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the thirteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have assigned a hold recommendation and nine have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $29.50.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on ARCT shares. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of Arcturus Therapeutics from $72.00 to $25.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. B. Riley Financial started coverage on Arcturus Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday. They set a "buy" rating and a $22.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Arcturus Therapeutics from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, December 13th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Arcturus Therapeutics from $66.00 to $21.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Arcturus Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st.

Arcturus Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ARCT opened at $6.72 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $7.42 and a 200 day moving average of $10.59. The firm has a market cap of $191.00 million, a PE ratio of -2.82 and a beta of 2.40. Arcturus Therapeutics has a one year low of $5.85 and a one year high of $24.17.

Arcturus Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ARCT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 3rd. The biotechnology company reported ($1.03) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.92) by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $7.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.32 million. Arcturus Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 80.19% and a negative return on equity of 29.13%. On average, equities analysts predict that Arcturus Therapeutics will post -2.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Arcturus Therapeutics

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Aristides Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Arcturus Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth about $161,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Arcturus Therapeutics by 59.9% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 103,116 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $632,000 after acquiring an additional 38,626 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV purchased a new stake in Arcturus Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at about $64,000. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new stake in Arcturus Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at about $504,000. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new position in Arcturus Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $140,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.54% of the company's stock.

Arcturus Therapeutics Company Profile

Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc is a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to developing messenger RNA (mRNA) medicines that address a range of diseases. The company leverages its proprietary STARR® mRNA platform to enable precise control over mRNA expression, supported by its lipid nanoparticle delivery technology, LUNAR®. Arcturus's approach is designed to address both therapeutic and prophylactic applications, with an emphasis on vaccines and treatments for rare genetic and infectious diseases.

The company's pipeline includes ARCT-810, an mRNA therapeutic candidate for phenylketonuria (PKU), and ARCT-021 (also known as LUNAR-COV19), a COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed in collaboration with Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore.

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