Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ARWR) Stock Price Up 4.3% - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• The stock price of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals increased by 4.3% on Friday, trading as high as $31.13.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on the stock, with two recommendations as Strong Buy, four as Buy, and two as Hold, projecting an average target price of $43.14.
• The company's latest earnings report revealed a loss of ($1.26) per share, missing expectations, with revenue of $27.77 million for the quarter.

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARWR - Get Free Report) shares rose 4.3% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $31.13 and last traded at $31.01. Approximately 1,043,295 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 49% from the average daily volume of 2,034,553 shares. The stock had previously closed at $29.72.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ARWR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. B. Riley raised Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Chardan Capital reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals from $40.00 to $38.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $43.14.

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $4.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -22.76 and a beta of 1.00. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $20.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $16.68. The company has a current ratio of 4.87, a quick ratio of 4.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ARWR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The biotechnology company reported ($1.26) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.94) by ($0.32). The company had revenue of $27.77 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $29.01 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($1.38) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -2.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals news, insider James C. Hamilton sold 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.00, for a total value of $450,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 232,122 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,963,660. This trade represents a 6.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Over the last three months, insiders sold 40,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,025,000. Insiders own 4.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals by 297.6% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,175 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,628 shares during the period. Virtus Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter worth $34,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals by 75.9% in the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,032 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,308 shares in the last quarter. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new stake in Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, CWM LLC raised its stake in Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals by 134.3% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,401 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 2,523 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.61% of the company's stock.

About Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc develops medicines for the treatment of intractable diseases in the United States. The company's products in pipeline includes Plozasiran, which is in Phase 2b and one Phase 3 clinical trial to treat hypertriglyceridemia, mixed dyslipidemia, and chylomicronemia syndrome; Zodasiran that is in Phase 2b clinical trial for the treatment of dyslipidemia and hypertriglyceridemia; ARO-PNPLA3, which is in Phase 1 clinical trial to treat patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis; ARO-RAGE that is in Phase 1/2a clinical trial to treat inflammatory pulmonary conditions; and ARO-MUC5AC, which is in Phase 1/2a clinical trial to treat muco-obstructive pulmonary diseases.