Morgan Stanley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ARWR) Stock

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley raised its price target on Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals from $100 to $120 and kept an overweight rating, implying about 37.8% upside from the current share price.
• Broader analyst sentiment remains upbeat, with several firms lifting targets after recent developments; Arrowhead now has a Moderate Buy consensus and an average target price of $93.83.
• The stock has surged near its 52-week high, helped by positive Phase 3 plozasiran trial results that strengthened the case for an FDA filing and expanded commercial potential.

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ARWR - Get Free Report) had its target price hoisted by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $120.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "overweight" rating on the biotechnology company's stock. Morgan Stanley's target price would indicate a potential upside of 37.77% from the stock's current price.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals from $35.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $126.00 price objective (up from $110.00) on shares of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals from $80.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Chardan Capital upped their price target on Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals from $90.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $93.83.

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 1.8%

ARWR stock traded down $1.60 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $87.10. 1,235,445 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,495,303. Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals has a one year low of $15.01 and a one year high of $95.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.27 billion, a PE ratio of -40.62 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 6.23 and a current ratio of 6.23. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $77.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $69.73.

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ARWR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.93) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.10) by $0.17. Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 48.38% and a negative return on equity of 55.09%. The business had revenue of $73.74 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $73.84 million. The company's quarterly revenue was down 86.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.75 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals will post -3.09 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals

In other Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals news, Director Hongbo Lu sold 2,970 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.88, for a total transaction of $228,333.60. Following the transaction, the director owned 52,012 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,998,682.56. This trade represents a 5.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 3.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals by 285.1% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 335 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 248 shares during the period. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals by 80.6% in the second quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 345 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Tsfg LLC purchased a new position in Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Optiver Holding B.V. increased its position in Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals by 83.8% in the 1st quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 408 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. 62.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Arrowhead reported topline Phase 3 SHASTA-3 and SHASTA-4 results showing plozasiran met its primary endpoint, strengthening the case for an FDA filing and potential commercial expansion. Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Reports Topline Results from Phase 3 SHASTA-3 and SHASTA-4 Studies of Plozasiran in Patients with Severe Hypertriglyceridemia
• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler reaffirmed its overweight rating and lifted its price target to $126 from $110, signaling increased confidence in Arrowhead’s growth outlook after the plozasiran data. Benzinga analyst note on Piper Sandler price target increase
• Positive Sentiment: Chardan Capital also raised its price target to $115 from $90 and kept a buy rating, adding to the bullish analyst momentum around the stock. Benzinga analyst note on Chardan Capital price target increase
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple reports highlighted Arrowhead hitting a 52-week high and being viewed as “sky high” after the trial win, while rival Ionis fell, reinforcing the market’s positive reaction to Arrowhead’s data. Seeking Alpha article on late-stage trial win
• Neutral Sentiment: Arrowhead also provided an update on its early-stage ARO-033 trial, which appears to be part of its broader pipeline progress but is less likely to be the main near-term stock driver. TipRanks update on ARO-033 first-in-human trial

About Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics. Since its founding in 2008, Arrowhead has leveraged its proprietary delivery platform—known internally as the Advanced RNAi Compound (ARC) technology—to silence disease-causing genes in patients suffering from genetically defined diseases. The company's approach aims to offer durable, targeted treatments across a range of therapeutic areas.

The company's pipeline includes multiple candidates in various stages of development.

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