HC Wainwright Expects Higher Earnings for WAVE Life Sciences

Key Points

• HC Wainwright raised its Q2 2026 EPS estimate for WAVE Life Sciences to ($0.30) from ($0.33), kept a Buy rating and an $18 price target, and lifted FY2026–FY2029 EPS forecasts, signaling an improved analyst outlook.
• WAVE reported a strong quarter on April 28, with EPS of ($0.13) beating the ($0.34) consensus and revenue of $38.25 million versus estimates of $8.45 million, representing a sizable upside to expectations.
• Analyst views remain mixed—14 Buys and 1 Sell yield a consensus "Moderate Buy" with a $27.88 average target and wide individual price targets ($21–$41)—while insiders sold about 52,373 shares in the past 90 days.

WAVE Life Sciences Ltd. (NASDAQ:WVE - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at HC Wainwright upped their Q2 2026 earnings estimates for WAVE Life Sciences in a report issued on Wednesday, April 29th. HC Wainwright analyst A. Fein now expects that the company will post earnings per share of ($0.30) for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of ($0.33). HC Wainwright currently has a "Buy" rating and a $18.00 target price on the stock. The consensus estimate for WAVE Life Sciences' current full-year earnings is ($1.16) per share. HC Wainwright also issued estimates for WAVE Life Sciences' Q3 2026 earnings at ($0.30) EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at ($0.29) EPS, FY2026 earnings at ($1.01) EPS, FY2027 earnings at ($0.84) EPS, FY2028 earnings at ($0.74) EPS and FY2029 earnings at ($0.56) EPS.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on WAVE Life Sciences from $34.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Wedbush raised their price objective on shares of WAVE Life Sciences from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of WAVE Life Sciences from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of WAVE Life Sciences from $22.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of WAVE Life Sciences from $38.00 to $21.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $27.88.

WAVE Life Sciences Stock Performance

WAVE Life Sciences stock opened at $7.32 on Monday. The business's fifty day moving average is $10.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.26. The firm has a market cap of $1.41 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.91 and a beta of -1.32. WAVE Life Sciences has a 52 week low of $5.02 and a 52 week high of $21.73.

WAVE Life Sciences (NASDAQ:WVE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.34) by $0.21. WAVE Life Sciences had a negative return on equity of 56.76% and a negative net margin of 255.70%.The business had revenue of $38.25 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.45 million.

Insider Buying and Selling at WAVE Life Sciences

In other WAVE Life Sciences news, CEO Paul Bolno sold 10,480 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.45, for a total transaction of $140,956.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 275,520 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,705,744. The trade was a 3.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Chris Francis sold 33,194 shares of WAVE Life Sciences stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.05, for a total value of $499,569.70. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 61,867 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $931,098.35. This trade represents a 34.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 52,373 shares of company stock worth $757,527. 23.98% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of WAVE Life Sciences

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its stake in WAVE Life Sciences by 678,144.7% in the third quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 3,750,693 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,455,000 after purchasing an additional 3,750,140 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its holdings in shares of WAVE Life Sciences by 5,024.6% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 805,901 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,830,000 after buying an additional 790,175 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new position in shares of WAVE Life Sciences in the 3rd quarter valued at $375,000. Fox Run Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in shares of WAVE Life Sciences in the 3rd quarter valued at $307,000. Finally, Knott David M Jr raised its stake in WAVE Life Sciences by 125.0% during the 3rd quarter. Knott David M Jr now owns 90,000 shares of the company's stock worth $659,000 after buying an additional 50,000 shares during the period. 89.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

WAVE Life Sciences News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting WAVE Life Sciences this week:

• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright raised EPS forecasts across multiple quarters and years and kept a "Buy" rating with an $18 price target—updates include higher FY2026–FY2029 and quarterly EPS assumptions (e.g., FY2026 now -$1.01 vs prior -$1.32), signaling improving analyst expectations that can support the share rally. HC Wainwright research note (MarketBeat)
• Neutral Sentiment: A Yahoo Finance valuation piece highlights WVE's steep YTD decline and examines valuation metrics — this draws investor attention to the stock as potentially cheaper after the selloff, which may attract value‑oriented buyers but also underscores execution/clinical risk that led to the drop. A Look At Wave Life Sciences (WVE) Valuation After Sharp Year To Date Share Price Decline
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts’ consensus remains a "Moderate Buy" on WVE, which provides broad, mild support for the stock but reflects mixed conviction across the sell‑side. WAVE Life Sciences Ltd. NASDAQ: WVE Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts
• Negative Sentiment: Canaccord Genuity published a pessimistic forecast for WVE’s stock price, representing bearish pressure that can cap upside or prompt profit‑taking despite upgraded estimates from other houses. Canaccord Genuity Group Issues Pessimistic Forecast for WAVE Life Sciences NASDAQ: WVE Stock Price

WAVE Life Sciences Company Profile

WAVE Life Sciences is a clinical-stage genetic medicines company focused on the discovery and development of stereopure oligonucleotide therapies designed to address serious diseases with high unmet medical need. Leveraging proprietary chemistry and precision synthesis, WAVE engineers drug candidates with defined stereochemistry to optimize potency, safety and manufacturability. This approach aims to enhance target specificity and improve therapeutic profiles compared with traditional oligonucleotide medicines.

The company's pipeline includes programs in neuromuscular disorders such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy and neurodegenerative conditions including Huntington's disease, as well as early-stage cardiovascular and liver indications.

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