HC Wainwright Has Pessimistic Outlook of ACAD Q1 Earnings

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:ACAD) – Equities research analysts at HC Wainwright cut their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for shares of ACADIA Pharmaceuticals in a note issued to investors on Thursday, February 26th. HC Wainwright analyst A. Ghosh now expects that the biopharmaceutical company will earn ($0.01) per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.12. HC Wainwright currently has a “Buy” rating and a $37.00 target price 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $1.48. ACADIA Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 36.49% and a return on equity of 12.49%. The business had revenue of $298.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $292.54 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.86 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

ACAD has been the subject of a number of other reports. Wolfe Research began coverage on ACADIA Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $33.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on ACADIA Pharmaceuticals from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Mizuho upgraded ACADIA Pharmaceuticals from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $29.00 to $35.00 in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on ACADIA Pharmaceuticals from $31.00 to $30.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, 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 report on Tuesday, January 6th. One 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 given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, ACADIA Pharmaceuticals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $30.74.

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 0.3%

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $24.56 on Monday. ACADIA Pharmaceuticals has a 52 week low of $13.40 and a 52 week high of $28.35. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $25.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $24.44. The stock has a market cap of $4.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.72, a P/E/G ratio of 23.83 and a beta of 0.66.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ACADIA Pharmaceuticals

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in ACADIA Pharmaceuticals by 67.5% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 958 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 386 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in shares of ACADIA Pharmaceuticals by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 16,355 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $437,000 after purchasing an additional 436 shares in the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of ACADIA Pharmaceuticals by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 20,632 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $551,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares during the period. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of ACADIA Pharmaceuticals by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 13,192 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $352,000 after buying an additional 512 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of ACADIA Pharmaceuticals by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 5,323 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $114,000 after buying an additional 534 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.71% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Jennifer J. Rhodes sold 6,950 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 7,609 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $177,898.42. This represents a 47.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 28.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals News Summary

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.