WAVE Life Sciences Ltd. (NASDAQ:WVE) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• The analyst consensus is a "Moderate Buy" from 14 brokerages (13 buy, 1 sell) with an average 12‑month price target of $33.73; several firms recently raised targets (Citigroup to $30, B. Riley to $37, Oppenheimer to $32) while Wells Fargo trimmed its target to $27.
• In the latest quarter WAVE reported EPS of ($0.30) vs. ($0.28) expected and revenue of $17.25M (above $15.68M est); the stock trades near $13.35 with a $2.51B market cap and the company remains unprofitable with negative ROE/net margin and an expected -1.14 EPS for the year.
• Insiders have been net sellers — the CEO and CFO sold shares in February and insiders disposed of 61,748 shares (~$908K) last quarter; corporate insiders own ~23.98% of the stock while institutional investors own ~89.73%.

Shares of WAVE Life Sciences Ltd. (NASDAQ:WVE - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fourteen brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $33.7333.

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on WAVE Life Sciences from $29.00 to $27.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of WAVE Life Sciences in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of WAVE Life Sciences from $16.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. B. Riley Financial raised their price objective on shares of WAVE Life Sciences from $19.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of WAVE Life Sciences from $24.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th.

WAVE Life Sciences Price Performance

WVE stock opened at $13.35 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $13.71 and a 200-day simple moving average of $11.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.51 billion, a PE ratio of -10.94 and a beta of -1.77. WAVE Life Sciences has a 1 year low of $5.28 and a 1 year high of $21.73.

WAVE Life Sciences (NASDAQ:WVE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported ($0.30) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.28) by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $17.25 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.68 million. WAVE Life Sciences had a negative return on equity of 85.69% and a negative net margin of 478.35%. On average, equities research analysts expect that WAVE Life Sciences will post -1.14 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Paul Bolno sold 10,480 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.45, for a total transaction of $140,956.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 275,520 shares in the company, valued at $3,705,744. This trade represents a 3.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Kyle Moran sold 3,588 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.45, for a total transaction of $48,258.60. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 134,385 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,807,478.25. This represents a 2.60% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 61,748 shares of company stock worth $907,809 over the last quarter. 23.98% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On WAVE Life Sciences

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CWM LLC lifted its stake in shares of WAVE Life Sciences by 6,729.0% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,117 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 2,086 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of WAVE Life Sciences by 645.2% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,243 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,942 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of WAVE Life Sciences during the 4th quarter worth about $82,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in WAVE Life Sciences by 32.1% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 8,124 shares of the company's stock valued at $138,000 after buying an additional 1,972 shares during the period. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in WAVE Life Sciences by 1,156.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 9,925 shares of the company's stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 9,135 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.73% of the company's stock.

About WAVE Life Sciences

WAVE Life Sciences is a clinical-stage genetic medicines company focused on the discovery and development of stereopure oligonucleotide therapies designed to address serious diseases with high unmet medical need. Leveraging proprietary chemistry and precision synthesis, WAVE engineers drug candidates with defined stereochemistry to optimize potency, safety and manufacturability. This approach aims to enhance target specificity and improve therapeutic profiles compared with traditional oligonucleotide medicines.

The company's pipeline includes programs in neuromuscular disorders such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy and neurodegenerative conditions including Huntington's disease, as well as early-stage cardiovascular and liver indications.

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