HC Wainwright Reaffirms Neutral Rating for Soleno Therapeutics (NASDAQ:SLNO)

Key Points

• HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on Soleno and cut its price target to $53.00 from $100, implying roughly 1.2% upside from the current share price.
• Neurocrine agreed to acquire Soleno for about $2.9 billion (or $53 per share), providing a near‑term liquidity event and price floor while several sell‑side firms have lowered ratings or targets.
• Multiple class‑action lawsuits and investor/M&A investigations, along with Soleno's voluntary withdrawal of its EU marketing application for DCCR, create legal and regulatory uncertainty that could affect the transaction's timing or value.

Soleno Therapeutics (NASDAQ:SLNO - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "neutral" rating reissued by stock analysts at HC Wainwright in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $53.00 price target on the stock, down from their prior price target of $100.00. HC Wainwright's price objective points to a potential upside of 1.24% from the stock's current price.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Piper Sandler cut shares of Soleno Therapeutics from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wolfe Research cut shares of Soleno Therapeutics from an "outperform" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday. TD Cowen cut shares of Soleno Therapeutics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $85.00 to $53.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Soleno Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on shares of Soleno Therapeutics from $110.00 to $80.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $89.20.

Soleno Therapeutics Price Performance

SLNO stock opened at $52.35 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $38.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $47.80. The stock has a market cap of $2.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 227.62 and a beta of -2.81. Soleno Therapeutics has a 1 year low of $29.43 and a 1 year high of $90.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 5.80 and a quick ratio of 5.55.

Soleno Therapeutics (NASDAQ:SLNO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $91.73 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $88.55 million. Research analysts anticipate that Soleno Therapeutics will post -3.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Soleno Therapeutics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in Soleno Therapeutics by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 17,360 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,242,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Soleno Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Avanza Fonder AB increased its position in Soleno Therapeutics by 11.2% in the 4th quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 3,195 shares of the company's stock valued at $148,000 after acquiring an additional 323 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Soleno Therapeutics by 11.9% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,197 shares of the company's stock valued at $216,000 after acquiring an additional 340 shares during the period. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its position in Soleno Therapeutics by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 15,600 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,055,000 after acquiring an additional 360 shares during the period. 97.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Soleno Therapeutics

Here are the key news stories impacting Soleno Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Neurocrine agreed to acquire Soleno for about $2.9B, offering $53.00 per share in cash (a meaningful premium to recent trade); the deal provides a near‑term liquidity event and floor for shareholder value. Neurocrine to Buy Soleno for $2.9 Billion
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary and coverage noted the $53/share offer and framed it as a strategic fit for Neurocrine’s rare‑disease/endocrinology push, supporting near‑term upside to the transaction price if the deal closes. Neurocrine Biosciences to acquire Soleno Therapeutics
• Neutral Sentiment: Soleno voluntarily withdrew its European marketing application for its Prader‑Willi treatment as Neurocrine sharpens focus on the U.S. market — a programmatic change that reduces near‑term EU regulatory exposure but removes a potential international revenue opportunity. Soleno withdraws EU rare disease drug application ahead of Neurocrine takeover
• Negative Sentiment: Several sell‑side firms downgraded or cut price targets (Cantor Fitzgerald, Wolfe Research, Lifesci; TD Cowen cut its target to $53 from $85) — analyst caution could pressure sentiment and constrain upside beyond the deal price. Cantor Fitzgerald Downgrades Soleno Therapeutics
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple securities class‑action lawsuits, and a flurry of law‑firm notices seeking lead plaintiffs, allege disclosures issues tied to the DCCR (VYKAT XR) program; several firms are investigating the fairness of the Neurocrine deal and potential fiduciary claims — these legal risks can create deal uncertainty, potential remediation costs, and timeline delays. Soleno Therapeutics, Inc. (SLNO) Class Action Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Investor‑rights and M&A litigation firms have launched investigations into whether Soleno’s board obtained a fair price and whether prior disclosures misstated drug risks — these actions raise the chance of post‑deal litigation or negotiated adjustments. Halper Sadeh investigation into sale price

About Soleno Therapeutics

Soleno Therapeutics, Inc is a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of therapies for rare and orphan diseases. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, Soleno leverages a precision medicine approach to identify and advance small‐molecule treatments that address underlying genetic and metabolic dysfunctions. The company's scientific strategy centers on repurposing and reformulating existing compounds to maximize therapeutic benefit in underserved patient populations.

The company's lead candidate, diazoxide choline controlled release (DCCR), is being investigated for the treatment of Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by insatiable appetite, hormonal imbalances and behavioral challenges.

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