Arcturus Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ARCT) Issues Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.43 EPS

Key Points

• Arcturus beat quarterly estimates: It reported a loss of $0.26 per share, $0.43 better than consensus, and revenue of $18.3 million versus analysts’ $8.0 million forecast.
• Pipeline programs are advancing: The company plans to begin a Phase II study of ARCT-2601 in Q1 2027 and expects full Phase II data for its cystic fibrosis program, ARCT-032, in Q2 2027; efficacy results are still pending.
• Cash provides runway, but results remain pressured: Arcturus had $184.8 million in cash and expects funding through year-end 2028, while its nine-month net loss widened to $58.2 million and revenue declined year over year.

Arcturus Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ARCT - Get Free Report) issued its earnings results on Thursday. The biotechnology company reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.69) by $0.43, FiscalAI reports. Arcturus Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 46.54% and a negative net margin of 317.62%. The business had revenue of $18.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.00 million.

Here are the key takeaways from Arcturus Therapeutics' conference call:

• ARCT-2601 advances with a new delivery platform: Arcturus reported 38-fold greater potency for LUNAR 2.0 than its earlier formulation in non-human primates and plans to start a Phase II study in Q1 2027, enrolling up to six patients. Top-line data are expected in the second half of 2027, though the clinical benefit of the delivery improvement remains unproven.
• CF program progresses, with safety encouraging but efficacy still pending: The company expects to complete enrollment of up to 20 patients receiving ARCT-032 by year-end and present full Phase II data in Q2 2027. It reported no significant safety events to date and said some patients completed 12 weeks of treatment; the timing of a go/no-go decision remains unspecified, and efficacy data have not yet been reported.
• Cash runway extends through year-end 2028: Arcturus reported $184.8 million in cash and equivalents at September 30 and said it expects its resources to fund operations for more than two years.
• Nine-month net loss widened: Net loss was $58.2 million for the first nine months of 2026, versus $36.7 million a year earlier, while revenue fell to $23.3 million from $74.8 million, primarily reflecting the prior-year CSL collaboration revenue and lower BARDA grant revenue.
• Arcturus regained KOSTAIVE marketing rights in Europe and the U.K.: The company said the transfer from CSL Seqirus supports potential commercial activities in those markets in 2027; it plans to seek a U.S. commercial partner, while Meiji continues commercialization in Japan.

Arcturus Therapeutics Stock Down 13.9%

ARCT stock traded down $1.51 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $9.36. 699,815 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 677,268. The stock has a market cap of $266.01 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.83 and a beta of 2.62. Arcturus Therapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $5.50 and a fifty-two week high of $17.96. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $13.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $9.04.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Zacks Research raised Arcturus Therapeutics from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Citigroup raised Arcturus Therapeutics from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $8.00 to $20.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Wall Street Zen cut Arcturus Therapeutics from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Sunday, October 4th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Arcturus Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Roth Capital reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $41.00 price target on shares of Arcturus Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Arcturus Therapeutics currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $22.29.

Arcturus Therapeutics Company Profile

Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc is a biotechnology company headquartered in San Diego, California, focused on developing medicines based on messenger RNA (mRNA) and other RNA technologies. The company's platform includes LUNAR, a lipid-mediated delivery system designed to transport nucleic acids into cells, as well as technologies for producing and administering mRNA and self-amplifying RNA.

The company's development programs address infectious diseases and rare genetic disorders. Arcturus has developed KOSTAIVE, a self-amplifying mRNA COVID-19 vaccine known as ARCT-154, in collaboration with CSL.

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