HC Wainwright Estimates Absci's Q1 Earnings (NASDAQ:ABSI)

Key Points

• HC Wainwright sharply cut near‑term EPS estimates for Absci — including Q1 2026 to ($0.20) from ($0.13) and FY2026 to ($0.87) — but kept a Buy rating and an $8 price target, signaling reduced near‑term visibility despite retained longer‑term upside.
• Absci missed Q4 results, reporting EPS of ($0.23) versus consensus ($0.16) and revenue of $0.65M versus $1.38M, with very negative margins and ROE, which heightens concerns about cash burn and dilution risk.
• Insider Andreas Busch bought 100,000 shares at $2.29 (a 31% increase in his position) while the CEO sold shares earlier; the stock trades around $2.88 and carries a Moderate Buy analyst consensus with an average price target near $7.

Absci Corporation (NASDAQ:ABSI - Free Report) - Equities researchers at HC Wainwright cut their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for Absci in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, March 25th. HC Wainwright analyst S. Ramakanth now expects that the company will earn ($0.20) per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of ($0.13). HC Wainwright currently has a "Buy" rating and a $8.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for Absci's current full-year earnings is ($0.89) per share. HC Wainwright also issued estimates for Absci's Q2 2026 earnings at ($0.21) EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at ($0.23) EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at ($0.23) EPS, FY2026 earnings at ($0.87) EPS, FY2027 earnings at ($0.29) EPS, FY2028 earnings at $0.10 EPS and FY2029 earnings at $0.08 EPS.

Absci (NASDAQ:ABSI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 24th. The company reported ($0.23) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.16) by ($0.07). Absci had a negative net margin of 4,113.68% and a negative return on equity of 62.33%. The company had revenue of $0.65 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.38 million.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on ABSI. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $7.00 target price on shares of Absci in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley downgraded Absci from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $4.32 price target on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Absci in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $7.08.

Absci Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ABSI opened at $2.88 on Friday. The company's fifty day moving average price is $2.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $3.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $440.70 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.39 and a beta of 2.12. Absci has a one year low of $2.01 and a one year high of $5.23.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Absci news, insider Andreas Busch bought 100,000 shares of Absci stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $2.29 per share, with a total value of $229,000.00. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 421,446 shares in the company, valued at approximately $965,111.34. This trade represents a 31.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Sean Mcclain sold 26,761 shares of Absci stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.99, for a total transaction of $80,015.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 8,334,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,920,355.33. The trade was a 0.32% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 10.49% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Absci

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in shares of Absci by 41.9% in the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 12,317 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 3,638 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in Absci by 45.9% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 11,690 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 3,678 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Absci by 20.7% during the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 21,882 shares of the company's stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 3,758 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG grew its position in Absci by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 92,148 shares of the company's stock worth $322,000 after acquiring an additional 4,892 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in Absci by 91.2% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,287 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 5,385 shares during the last quarter. 52.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Absci News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Absci this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Needham reaffirmed a Buy rating and maintains a $7.00 price target, which supports upside thesis for longer‑term recovery. Absci NASDAQ: ABSI Earns Buy Rating from Needham & Company LLC
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 2025 earnings call transcript and coverage provide details on results and management commentary; useful for investors assessing guidance and cash runway. Absci (ABSI) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: HC Wainwright also published a long‑range FY2030 EPS projection (positive later‑cycle view) while keeping a Buy rating and $8 target — a mixed signal that retains upside expectations but lowers near‑term visibility. MarketBeat: Absci analyst coverage (HC Wainwright note)
• Negative Sentiment: HC Wainwright cut multiple near‑term EPS estimates sharply on March 25 (Q1–Q4 2026 and FY2026–FY2029), including a large downgrade to FY2026 from ($0.45) to ($0.87) and deeper quarterly losses — this directly pressures the stock as modelled near‑term cash needs and profitability worsen. HC Wainwright estimate cuts (March 25)
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage flagged Absci’s cash‑burn situation and runway concerns, which heightens investor focus on dilution risk and the need for financing. That drives selling pressure until cash metrics and partner/clinical milestones improve. Here's Why We're Watching Absci's NASDAQ: ABSI Cash Burn Situation
• Negative Sentiment: Seeking Alpha published a note downgrading the story to Hold, citing program pivots and strategy shifts (ABS‑101 back burner / pivot to ABS‑201), which undermines near‑term clinical catalysts. Absci: Downgrade To 'Hold' As ABS-101 On Back Burner And Pivot To ABS-201
• Negative Sentiment: Pre‑market coverage noted ABSI among names moving lower, reflecting short‑term selling momentum following the analyst revisions and headlines. Absci, DigitalOcean and other big stocks moving lower in Wednesday's pre-market session

About Absci

Absci Corporation NASDAQ: ABSI is a biotechnology company that applies machine learning, synthetic biology and automation to accelerate the discovery and development of protein-based therapeutics. The company's Integrated Drug Creation® (IDC®) platform is designed to identify and produce novel antibody and enzyme candidates at speeds and scales that traditional biopharma discovery methods cannot match. Absci works with pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners to generate, screen and optimize protein molecules for a wide range of therapeutic applications.

The core of Absci's offering is its end-to-end discovery engine, which combines proprietary algorithms, high-throughput laboratory automation and a deep learning framework.

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