Q1 EPS Estimates for Vera Therapeutics Cut by HC Wainwright

Key Points

• HC Wainwright materially cut Vera Therapeutics' near‑term EPS forecasts — Q1 2026 EPS was lowered to ($1.35) (from ($0.98)) and FY2026 was trimmed to ($4.84), with similar reductions across Q2–Q4 2026.
• Despite the downgrades, HC Wainwright kept a Buy rating and a $110 price target while raising long‑term EPS estimates sharply (FY2029: $8.43; FY2030: $9.88), reflecting confidence in a multi‑year recovery.
• Vera recently missed quarterly EPS (-$1.39 vs. -$1.34 consensus), insiders have been selling shares, and the stock trades near $39.65 with a MarketBeat consensus target of $80.80 (consensus: Moderate Buy).

Vera Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VERA - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at HC Wainwright dropped their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Vera Therapeutics in a research report issued on Monday, March 2nd. HC Wainwright analyst A. He now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of ($1.35) for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of ($0.98). HC Wainwright has a "Buy" rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for Vera Therapeutics' current full-year earnings is ($2.89) per share. HC Wainwright also issued estimates for Vera Therapeutics' Q2 2026 earnings at ($1.31) EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at ($1.26) EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at ($0.93) EPS, FY2026 earnings at ($4.84) EPS, FY2027 earnings at ($1.53) EPS, FY2028 earnings at $2.04 EPS, FY2029 earnings at $8.43 EPS and FY2030 earnings at $9.88 EPS.

Vera Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VERA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported ($1.39) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.34) by ($0.05). During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($0.72) EPS.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Vera Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, December 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Vera Therapeutics from $55.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Vera Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wedbush raised their target price on Vera Therapeutics from $23.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Evercore upped their target price on shares of Vera Therapeutics from $75.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $80.80.

Vera Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of VERA opened at $39.65 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.51 and a beta of 1.17. Vera Therapeutics has a 12 month low of $18.53 and a 12 month high of $56.05. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $45.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $35.98. The company has a current ratio of 13.64, a quick ratio of 13.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12.

Institutional Trading of Vera Therapeutics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vera Therapeutics by 50.5% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 703 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Vera Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth about $46,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in Vera Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth about $71,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Vera Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter worth about $51,000. Finally, Sandia Investment Management LP bought a new position in shares of Vera Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at about $127,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.21% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vera Therapeutics

In other news, COO David Lee Johnson sold 2,579 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.98, for a total value of $108,266.42. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 45,727 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,919,619.46. This represents a 5.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Sean Grant sold 4,949 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.98, for a total transaction of $207,759.02. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 114,181 shares in the company, valued at $4,793,318.38. This represents a 4.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 33,490 shares of company stock worth $1,405,910 in the last three months. 16.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Vera Therapeutics News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright retained a "Buy" rating and a $110 price target and raised their FY2029 and FY2030 EPS forecasts (FY2029: $8.43; FY2030: $9.88), signaling conviction in Vera’s longer‑term commercial or pipeline potential. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The report lays out a multi‑year recovery profile (FY2027–FY2028–FY2029) showing a transition from losses to substantial upside — this creates a binary trade: near‑term execution risk vs. sizable longer‑term reward. Reference: company analyst note summary. VERA on MarketBeat
• Negative Sentiment: HC Wainwright materially cut near‑term estimates: Q1–Q4 2026 EPS were revised lower (now roughly -$1.35, -$1.31, -$1.26, -$0.93 respectively) and FY2026 EPS dropped to -$4.84 (from -$3.18 previously). Those downgrades increase the risk of near‑term earnings misses and likely pressured the stock today. VERA on MarketBeat

About Vera Therapeutics

Vera Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel immunotherapies that harness the body's own regulatory T cells to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. By leveraging a proprietary protein engineering platform, the company designs Treg-selective cytokine variants intended to restore immune balance and provide targeted, disease-modifying effects. Its pipeline comprises multiple preclinical and clinical candidates aimed at indications characterized by chronic inflammation and autoimmunity.

Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Vera Therapeutics collaborates with leading academic and research institutions to advance its development programs.

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