HC Wainwright Issues Pessimistic Outlook for ARCT Earnings

Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:ARCT) – Equities research analysts at HC Wainwright cut their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for Arcturus Therapeutics in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, March 4th. HC Wainwright analyst A. Fein now anticipates that the biotechnology company will post earnings of ($0.82) per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of ($0.71). HC Wainwright has a “Neutral” rating and a $9.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for Arcturus Therapeutics’ current full-year earnings is ($2.22) per share. HC Wainwright also issued estimates for Arcturus Therapeutics’ Q2 2026 earnings at ($0.82) EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at ($0.77) EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at ($0.65) EPS, FY2026 earnings at ($3.07) EPS, FY2027 earnings at ($3.22) EPS, FY2028 earnings at ($3.22) EPS, FY2029 earnings at ($4.30) EPS and FY2030 earnings at ($4.83) EPS.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on ARCT. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Arcturus Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Piper Sandler cut their target price on Arcturus Therapeutics from $72.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen cut Arcturus Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 13th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Arcturus Therapeutics from $66.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Roth Mkm assumed coverage on shares of Arcturus Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $20.00 price objective for the company. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $30.33.

Arcturus Therapeutics Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of ARCT stock opened at $7.11 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $202.07 million, a P/E ratio of -2.99 and a beta of 2.40. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $7.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $11.25. Arcturus Therapeutics has a 12 month low of $5.85 and a 12 month high of $24.17.

Arcturus Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ARCT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 3rd. The biotechnology company reported ($1.03) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.92) by ($0.11). Arcturus Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 80.19% and a negative return on equity of 29.13%. The firm had revenue of $7.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.32 million.

Institutional Trading of Arcturus Therapeutics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. ARK Investment Management LLC increased its position in Arcturus Therapeutics by 9.2% during the third quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 1,872,721 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $34,514,000 after buying an additional 157,681 shares during the period. Amova Asset Management Americas Inc. grew its position in shares of Arcturus Therapeutics by 6.4% during the third quarter. Amova Asset Management Americas Inc. now owns 1,947,835 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $35,879,000 after acquiring an additional 117,632 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Arcturus Therapeutics by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,947,835 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $35,899,000 after acquiring an additional 115,368 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd raised its position in Arcturus Therapeutics by 92.5% in the 2nd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 44,432 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $578,000 after purchasing an additional 21,355 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AXQ Capital LP acquired a new stake in Arcturus Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth $176,000. 94.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Arcturus Therapeutics News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company will present at the Leerink Partners Global Healthcare Conference (fireside chat on March 11), giving management a near‑term opportunity to provide program updates and financing/cost‑pathway clarity that could stabilize sentiment. Arcturus Therapeutics to Attend Upcoming Investor Conference
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup cut its price target from $66 to $21 but maintained a “buy” rating — this reduces a high upside anchor and likely tempers conviction among momentum buyers, though the maintained buy stance leaves room for positive reaction if management news is constructive. Citi price target cut coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data published for early March appears to be erroneous (shows 0 shares / NaN changes); investors should treat those metrics with caution until corrected — unreliable short data reduces clarity on potential short‑squeeze dynamics. (Source: market data entries)
• Negative Sentiment: HC Wainwright materially lowered EPS forecasts across 2026–2030 (e.g., FY2026 cut to ($3.07) from ($2.19); FY2029 and FY2030 swung to large expected losses), and reduced quarterly EPS estimates for Q1–Q4 2026 — this increases downside pressure by signaling a longer path to profitability and higher cash burn assumptions. HC Wainwright estimate revisions (market summary)
• Negative Sentiment: Recent Q4 earnings commentary and third‑party assessments highlighted missed revenue and EPS vs. expectations, reinforcing short‑term weakness and investor skepticism until clinical/program milestones or clearer financing plans are provided. Arcturus Therapeutics Q4 2025 Earnings Call Summary Q4 earnings assessment

Arcturus Therapeutics Company Profile

Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc is a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to developing messenger RNA (mRNA) medicines that address a range of diseases. The company leverages its proprietary STARR® mRNA platform to enable precise control over mRNA expression, supported by its lipid nanoparticle delivery technology, LUNAR®. Arcturus’s approach is designed to address both therapeutic and prophylactic applications, with an emphasis on vaccines and treatments for rare genetic and infectious diseases.

The company’s pipeline includes ARCT-810, an mRNA therapeutic candidate for phenylketonuria (PKU), and ARCT-021 (also known as LUNAR-COV19), a COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed in collaboration with Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore.