Minerva Neurosciences (NASDAQ:NERV) Downgraded to Strong Sell Rating by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research downgraded Minerva Neurosciences from “hold” to “strong sell,” while the broader analyst consensus is “Reduce” with a $10.50 target price.
• NERV shares opened at $3.92, well below their 52-week high of $12.46; the company reported a quarterly loss of $0.14 per share, though this beat the $0.19 loss analysts expected.
• Institutional investors own 34.56% of the company, with several funds recently building positions, but earnings forecasts remain weak, including projected losses for 2026 and 2027.

Minerva Neurosciences (NASDAQ:NERV - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Minerva Neurosciences in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Citizens Jmp started coverage on shares of Minerva Neurosciences in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. They set a "market outperform" rating and a $14.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Minerva Neurosciences from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Minerva Neurosciences presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $10.50.

Minerva Neurosciences Stock Performance

Minerva Neurosciences stock opened at $3.92 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $187.18 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.14 and a beta of -0.10. Minerva Neurosciences has a 52-week low of $1.79 and a 52-week high of $12.46. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $4.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $5.43.

Minerva Neurosciences (NASDAQ:NERV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.14) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.19) by $0.05. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Minerva Neurosciences will post -0.5 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Minerva Neurosciences

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Minerva Neurosciences during the second quarter worth $419,000. Seven Fleet Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Minerva Neurosciences during the first quarter valued at about $6,855,000. DV Trading LLC bought a new stake in shares of Minerva Neurosciences during the first quarter worth about $5,358,000. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of Minerva Neurosciences by 78,272.5% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 39,970 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $241,000 after acquiring an additional 39,919 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in shares of Minerva Neurosciences by 47,614.0% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,294,259 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $25,873,000 after acquiring an additional 4,285,259 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 34.56% of the company's stock.

Minerva Neurosciences News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Minerva Neurosciences this week:

• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright’s longer-term projections remain optimistic, calling for positive EPS of $0.64 in fiscal 2029 and $1.67 in fiscal 2030. This indicates the firm still sees potential for meaningful profitability if Minerva’s development programs and commercialization plans succeed.
• Neutral Sentiment: The analyst forecasts EPS of negative $0.15 for fiscal 2028, followed by a return to profitability in 2029. The estimates imply that investors may need to look several years ahead for earnings growth.
• Negative Sentiment: HC Wainwright cut its fiscal 2026 EPS estimate to negative $0.50 from negative $0.20 and reduced its Q3 2026 estimate to negative $0.14 from negative $0.01. The firm also expects Q4 2026 EPS of negative $0.09, compared with its previous estimate of negative $0.01.
• Negative Sentiment: Forecasts for fiscal 2027 were sharply lowered to negative $0.42 per share from positive $4.82. Quarterly 2027 estimates were also reset to approximately negative $0.11 per share, including Q2, Q3 and Q4, signaling substantially weaker near-term earnings expectations.

About Minerva Neurosciences

Minerva Neurosciences, Inc is a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel therapies for central nervous system (CNS) disorders. The company's research and development efforts are directed toward addressing unmet needs in psychiatric and neurological conditions, leveraging its expertise in neuropharmacology and receptor modulation. Minerva's goal is to bring forward differentiated molecules that can offer improved efficacy and safety profiles compared to existing treatments.

The company's most advanced programs include roluperidone (formerly MIN-101), which has been investigated for the treatment of negative symptoms of schizophrenia, and MIN-117, a novel serotonergic agent being evaluated in major depressive disorder.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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