HC Wainwright Issues Negative Estimate for ACAD Earnings

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:ACAD) – Equities researchers at HC Wainwright lowered their Q3 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of ACADIA Pharmaceuticals in a research report issued on Thursday, February 26th. HC Wainwright analyst A. Ghosh now expects that the biopharmaceutical company will post earnings of $0.16 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.24. HC Wainwright has a “Buy” rating and a $37.00 price target 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’ Q4 2026 earnings at $0.23 EPS.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Wolfe Research began coverage on ACADIA Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $33.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on ACADIA Pharmaceuticals from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Mizuho raised ACADIA Pharmaceuticals from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $29.00 to $35.00 in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on ACADIA Pharmaceuticals from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Piper Sandler set a $37.00 price objective on ACADIA Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $30.74.

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:ACAD opened at $24.56 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $4.16 billion, a PE ratio of 10.72, a PEG ratio of 8.69 and a beta of 0.66. The company’s fifty day moving average is $25.53 and its 200 day moving average is $24.44. ACADIA Pharmaceuticals has a 52 week low of $13.40 and a 52 week high of $28.35.

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ACAD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by $1.48. ACADIA Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 36.49% and a return on equity of 13.96%. The firm had revenue of $298.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $292.54 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.86 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ACAD. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in ACADIA Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,679,000. TFG Asset Management GP Ltd raised its holdings in ACADIA Pharmaceuticals by 50.8% in the second quarter. TFG Asset Management GP Ltd now owns 161,396 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $3,481,000 after buying an additional 54,396 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of ACADIA Pharmaceuticals by 2.8% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,434,376 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $52,509,000 after buying an additional 65,914 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of ACADIA Pharmaceuticals by 613.4% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 39,680 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $847,000 after buying an additional 34,118 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP grew its holdings in shares of ACADIA Pharmaceuticals by 210.1% during the third quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 75,902 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,620,000 after buying an additional 51,428 shares during the last quarter. 96.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Jennifer J. Rhodes sold 6,950 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.38, for a total transaction of $162,491.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 7,609 shares in the company, valued at $177,898.42. This represents a 47.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 26.50% of the company’s stock.

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals News Roundup

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

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

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.