HC Wainwright Brokers Decrease Earnings Estimates for ACAD

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:ACAD) – Stock analysts at HC Wainwright dropped their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of ACADIA Pharmaceuticals in a research note issued on Thursday, February 26th. HC Wainwright analyst A. Ghosh now forecasts that the biopharmaceutical company will post earnings of ($0.01) per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.12. HC Wainwright has a “Buy” rating and a $37.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for ACADIA Pharmaceuticals’ current full-year earnings is $0.70 per share. HC Wainwright also issued estimates for ACADIA Pharmaceuticals’ Q2 2026 earnings at $0.08 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $0.46 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $1.71 EPS, FY2028 earnings at $2.78 EPS, FY2029 earnings at $3.11 EPS and FY2030 earnings at $3.25 EPS.

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ACAD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by $1.48. The company had revenue of $298.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $292.54 million. ACADIA Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 12.49% and a net margin of 36.49%.The firm’s revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.86 earnings per share.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of ACADIA Pharmaceuticals from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Mizuho upgraded shares of ACADIA Pharmaceuticals from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $29.00 to $35.00 in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $34.00 price target on shares of ACADIA Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on ACADIA Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday, February 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $33.00 price target for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on ACADIA Pharmaceuticals from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $30.74.

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of ACAD stock opened at $24.56 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.19 billion, a PE ratio of 10.72, a PEG ratio of 23.83 and a beta of 0.66. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $25.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.44. ACADIA Pharmaceuticals has a one year low of $13.40 and a one year high of $28.35.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other ACADIA Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Jennifer J. Rhodes sold 6,950 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.38, for a total transaction of $162,491.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 7,609 shares in the company, valued at approximately $177,898.42. This represents a 47.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 28.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of ACADIA Pharmaceuticals by 14.5% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 847,961 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $22,649,000 after acquiring an additional 107,386 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV bought a new stake in ACADIA Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $257,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its holdings in ACADIA Pharmaceuticals by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 57,274 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,526,000 after purchasing an additional 3,917 shares in the last quarter. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC raised its stake in shares of ACADIA Pharmaceuticals by 23.1% in the fourth quarter. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC now owns 25,170 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $672,000 after purchasing an additional 4,729 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sphera Funds Management LTD. lifted its holdings in shares of ACADIA Pharmaceuticals by 42.5% in the fourth quarter. Sphera Funds Management LTD. now owns 212,202 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $5,668,000 after purchasing an additional 63,302 shares in the last quarter. 96.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More ACADIA Pharmaceuticals News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and upgraded 2026 revenue outlook — ACAD reported stronger-than-expected Q4 results (EPS beat) and a milestone year with >$1B in revenue, and guided 2026 revenue to $1.22B–$1.28B, driven by NUPLAZID and DAYBUE. This underpins growth expectations for the company. Acadia Reports Q4 & Full Year 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price-target upgrades — Several firms raised targets after the quarter (TD Cowen to $37 and Citizens JMP to $35), reflecting confidence in commercial momentum for DAYBUE and NUPLAZID. Benzinga coverage of analyst moves
• Neutral Sentiment: Minor analyst downtick but still constructive — Royal Bank of Canada trimmed its target to $30 but keeps an “outperform” view; this is a modest adjustment rather than a directional reversal. Benzinga: RBC target change
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data appears anomalous — February short-interest entries show 0 shares / NaN increases and 0.0 days-to-cover, indicating a data/reporting glitch rather than a real shift in short positioning.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst EPS cuts from HC Wainwright — HC Wainwright trimmed Q3 and Q4 2026 EPS estimates (Q3: $0.16 from $0.24; Q4: $0.23 from $0.27), which can pressure near-term expectations despite a buy rating and $37 target.
• Negative Sentiment: Some sell-side caution — Stifel lowered its target to $24 and moved to a “hold,” a more conservative stance that adds selling pressure versus the upgrades. Benzinga: Stifel target change
• Negative Sentiment: Pipeline/regulatory and sales nuances — Coverage noted a sales miss in places and an EU setback for trofinetide that clouds parts of the growth narrative even as core brands accelerate. Zacks: Q4 recap and trofinetide outlook

About ACADIA Pharmaceuticals

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapies for central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Established in 1993 and headquartered in San Diego, California, ACADIA’s research centers concentrate on conditions with significant unmet medical needs, including Parkinson’s disease psychosis, Alzheimer’s disease psychosis, and schizophrenia. The company utilizes a range of scientific platforms, including selective receptor modulation and precision-targeted compounds, to advance its portfolio of small-molecule therapeutics.

The company’s flagship product, NUPLAZID® (pimavanserin), received U.S.