WAVE Life Sciences (NASDAQ:WVE) Upgraded to "Hold" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• WAVE Life Sciences was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "strong sell" to a "hold," while the broader analyst consensus remains a Moderate Buy with an average target price of $27.88 (14 Buys, 1 Sell).
• The company beat quarterly expectations—EPS of ($0.13) vs. ($0.34) estimate and revenue of $38.25M vs. $8.45M—yet still shows a negative net margin and ROE; the stock trades near $7.32 with a market cap of about $1.41B and a 52‑week range of $5.02–$21.73.
• Insiders sold roughly 52,373 shares (~$757,527) over the last quarter, while institutional investors hold about 89.7% of the company's stock.

WAVE Life Sciences (NASDAQ:WVE - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of WAVE Life Sciences in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Truist Financial assumed coverage on shares of WAVE Life Sciences in a research report on Wednesday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $15.00 price objective on the stock. Wedbush boosted their price objective on shares of WAVE Life Sciences from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. HC Wainwright decreased their price objective on shares of WAVE Life Sciences from $30.00 to $18.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of WAVE Life Sciences from $22.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $27.88.

WAVE Life Sciences Stock Up 3.7%

WAVE Life Sciences stock opened at $7.32 on Friday. WAVE Life Sciences has a 52 week low of $5.02 and a 52 week high of $21.73. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $10.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.41 billion, a PE ratio of -6.91 and a beta of -1.32.

WAVE Life Sciences (NASDAQ:WVE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.34) by $0.21. WAVE Life Sciences had a negative net margin of 255.70% and a negative return on equity of 56.76%. The business had revenue of $38.25 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.45 million. On average, research analysts expect that WAVE Life Sciences will post -1.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Chris Francis sold 33,194 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.05, for a total value of $499,569.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 61,867 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $931,098.35. The trade was a 34.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Kyle Moran sold 3,588 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.45, for a total transaction of $48,258.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 134,385 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,807,478.25. The trade was a 2.60% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 52,373 shares of company stock worth $757,527. Company insiders own 23.98% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CWM LLC raised its stake in 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 stake 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 valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 1,942 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of WAVE Life Sciences by 1,156.3% during the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 9,925 shares of the company's stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 9,135 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of WAVE Life Sciences by 1,441.6% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 9,928 shares of the company's stock worth $73,000 after acquiring an additional 9,284 shares during the period. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in shares of WAVE Life Sciences by 44.8% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 11,658 shares of the company's stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 3,609 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.73% of the company's stock.

WAVE Life Sciences Company Profile

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.

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.