Pacira BioSciences (NASDAQ:PCRX) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.01 EPS

Key Points

• Pacira reported Q1 EPS of $0.60, missing estimates by $0.01 while revenue of $177.38M beat expectations and rose ~5% year-over-year; management reiterated full-year 2026 guidance of $745–$770M, reported Q1 adjusted EBITDA of ~$40.2M, held $202M cash and executed an additional $50M share repurchase.
• Flagship product EXPAREL is showing renewed momentum with Q1 net sales of $143.3M (volume +7% YoY), expanded reimbursement to >110 million covered lives, a new product-specific J-code, and strengthened IP with 21 Orange Book-listed patents.
• Pipeline catalysts include gene therapy PCRX-201 (Part A top-line due later this year; Part B ~90-patient enrollment planned mid-year) and growing Zilretta and iovera sales, but the programs are early-stage and the company faces near-term headwinds from vial-mix shifts, GPO-driven discounting, shipping/return disruptions, elevated SG&A and policy uncertainty around the NOPAIN Act.

Pacira BioSciences (NASDAQ:PCRX - Get Free Report) released its earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.61 by ($0.01), FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $177.38 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $173.53 million. Pacira BioSciences had a return on equity of 10.39% and a net margin of 0.97%.Pacira BioSciences's revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.65 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Pacira BioSciences' conference call:

• EXPAREL is showing renewed momentum with Q1 net sales of $143.3M (volume ~+7% YoY), expanded reimbursement outside the surgical bundle to >110 million covered lives, a new product-specific J-code, and strengthened IP protection with 21 Orange Book-listed patents.
• PCRX-201 (HCAd gene therapy for knee OA) is on a catalyst-rich path — Part A top-line (safety-focused) due later this year and Part B ~90-patient enrollment planned mid-year — but efficacy is early-stage and the program remains high-risk/high-reward.
• Early-intervention portfolio traction — Zilretta sales rose ~15% in Q1 with Phase III shoulder OA enrollment complete (top-line later this year), and iovera sales rose ~21% with a registrational spasticity readout expected by year-end.
• Management reiterated full-year 2026 guidance (total revenues $745–$770M, EXPAREL sales $600–$620M), reported strong adjusted EBITDA (~$40.2M in Q1), ended the quarter with $202M cash, and executed another $50M share repurchase (≈9M shares retired to date), supporting capital-return and financial flexibility.
• Near-term headwinds include revenue pressure from vial-mix shifts and GPO-driven discounting, Q1 shipping/return disruptions from winter storms, elevated SG&A tied to proxy activities, and policy uncertainty as the NOPAIN Act is currently set to expire in 2027.

Pacira BioSciences Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PCRX traded up $0.35 during trading on Thursday, reaching $25.49. 1,086,622 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 463,085. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 4.54 and a quick ratio of 3.28. Pacira BioSciences has a 12 month low of $18.80 and a 12 month high of $27.64. The company has a 50 day moving average of $23.31 and a 200-day moving average of $23.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 169.93 and a beta of 0.19.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PCRX has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Pacira BioSciences from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $30.00 target price on shares of Pacira BioSciences in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Pacira BioSciences from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Pacira BioSciences from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $38.00 price objective on shares of Pacira BioSciences in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $30.25.

Insider Activity at Pacira BioSciences

In related news, CFO Shawn Cross sold 12,941 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.16, for a total transaction of $325,595.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 105,341 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,650,379.56. This represents a 10.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Jonathan Slonin sold 3,261 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.82, for a total transaction of $74,416.02. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 223,640 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,103,464.80. This represents a 1.44% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 32,261 shares of company stock valued at $785,850 in the last quarter. Insiders own 6.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vident Advisory LLC grew its position in Pacira BioSciences by 15.0% in the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 23,571 shares of the company's stock worth $610,000 after purchasing an additional 3,075 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Pacira BioSciences by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 227,605 shares of the company's stock worth $5,890,000 after purchasing an additional 4,167 shares during the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new position in Pacira BioSciences in the 4th quarter worth about $2,146,000. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in Pacira BioSciences by 73.3% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 122,606 shares of the company's stock worth $3,173,000 after purchasing an additional 51,848 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC grew its position in Pacira BioSciences by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 17,958 shares of the company's stock worth $465,000 after purchasing an additional 556 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.73% of the company's stock.

Pacira BioSciences Company Profile

Pacira BioSciences, Inc is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing non-opioid, non-addictive pain management and regenerative health solutions. The company's flagship product, EXPAREL, is a bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension designed to provide long-lasting postsurgical analgesia. EXPAREL is used by clinicians across a broad range of surgical procedures to reduce reliance on opioid medications and to help manage acute postoperative pain.

In addition to its marketed offering, Pacira maintains an active pipeline of investigational products aimed at addressing unmet needs in pain management and inflammation control.

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