Q1 EPS Estimate for Arcturus Therapeutics Reduced by Analyst

Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:ARCT) – Analysts at HC Wainwright cut their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for shares of Arcturus Therapeutics in a research report issued on Wednesday, March 4th. HC Wainwright analyst A. Fein now anticipates that the biotechnology company will post earnings per share of ($0.82) for the quarter, down from their prior estimate 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.

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

ARCT has been the topic of a number of other reports. Citigroup dropped their price objective 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. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Arcturus Therapeutics from $72.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Arcturus Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Arcturus Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 13th. Finally, Roth Mkm started coverage on 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 analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $30.33.

Arcturus Therapeutics Stock Down 1.9%

ARCT stock opened at $7.11 on Friday. Arcturus Therapeutics has a 52 week low of $5.85 and a 52 week high of $24.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $202.09 million, a P/E ratio of -2.99 and a beta of 2.40. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $7.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $11.21.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ARCT. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in Arcturus Therapeutics by 51.8% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 2,163 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 738 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of Arcturus Therapeutics by 163.4% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,169 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 2,586 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV acquired a new position in shares of Arcturus Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth $64,000. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Arcturus Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth $70,000. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its position in shares of Arcturus Therapeutics by 65.1% in the 4th quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 12,009 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 4,737 shares in the last quarter. 94.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Arcturus Therapeutics News Roundup

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

About Arcturus Therapeutics

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.