HC Wainwright Has Bullish Forecast for COGT Q1 Earnings

Cogent Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:COGT) – Equities researchers at HC Wainwright lifted their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Cogent Biosciences in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, March 17th. HC Wainwright analyst R. Burns now forecasts that the technology company will earn ($0.53) per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of ($0.54). HC Wainwright has a “Buy” rating and a $52.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for Cogent Biosciences’ current full-year earnings is ($2.42) per share. HC Wainwright also issued estimates for Cogent Biosciences’ Q3 2026 earnings at ($0.56) EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at ($0.57) EPS and FY2026 earnings at ($2.21) EPS.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on COGT. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Cogent Biosciences in a research report on Monday, March 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $55.00 price objective for the company. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Cogent Biosciences in a research note on Tuesday. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Cogent Biosciences from $39.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Cogent Biosciences in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Cogent Biosciences to $67.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Cogent Biosciences currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.45.

Cogent Biosciences Stock Performance

Shares of Cogent Biosciences stock opened at $33.38 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $5.42 billion, a PE ratio of -15.45 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a quick ratio of 14.23, a current ratio of 14.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Cogent Biosciences has a 52 week low of $3.72 and a 52 week high of $43.73. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $37.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $29.59.

Cogent Biosciences (NASDAQ:COGT) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The technology company reported ($0.55) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.51) by ($0.04).

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cogent Biosciences

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in COGT. CWM LLC boosted its position in Cogent Biosciences by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,858 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $208,000 after buying an additional 276 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Cogent Biosciences by 16.1% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,159 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. Optimize Financial Inc increased its position in shares of Cogent Biosciences by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Optimize Financial Inc now owns 33,024 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,173,000 after acquiring an additional 472 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Cogent Biosciences by 35.7% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,855 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 488 shares in the last quarter. Finally, China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Cogent Biosciences by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 25,014 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $888,000 after acquiring an additional 527 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cogent Biosciences

In other Cogent Biosciences news, insider John Edward Robinson sold 90,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.74, for a total transaction of $3,486,600.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 140,002 shares in the company, valued at $5,423,677.48. This represents a 39.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Jessica Sachs sold 82,642 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.70, for a total transaction of $3,198,245.40. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 133,938 shares in the company, valued at $5,183,400.60. This represents a 38.16% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 3,737,642 shares of company stock valued at $136,600,345 over the last three months. 7.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Cogent Biosciences News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Cogent Biosciences this week:

• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright remains constructive — the firm keeps a “Buy” rating and a $52 price target on COGT, which supports upside expectations despite model changes. HC Wainwright Note
• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush reiterated an “Outperform” rating, signaling continued analyst confidence that could limit downside and attract risk‑tolerant investors. Wedbush Reiterates Outperform
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst coverage included a $42.82 consensus price target from brokerages, giving a clear reference point for upside from current levels. Price Target Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest reports show anomalous values (reported as 0 shares with NaN changes and 0.0 days‑to‑cover), indicating either no material short exposure or a data/reporting issue — not currently a clear driver.
• Negative Sentiment: Boone Capital sold 945,042 shares in Q4, reducing its position value by about $13.6M — a meaningful institutional sale that can weigh on the stock, particularly in the near term. Boone Capital Sale
• Negative Sentiment: HC Wainwright trimmed EPS forecasts for multiple 2026 quarters and lowered FY2026 estimates (they still maintain a Buy), which implies weaker near‑term profitability expectations and is a likely contributor to selling pressure. HC Wainwright Estimates

Cogent Biosciences Company Profile

Cogent Biosciences is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of small-molecule therapies that modulate the tumor microenvironment. The company’s research centers on targeting colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R), a key regulator of tumor-associated macrophages that can promote tumor growth and immune evasion. By selectively inhibiting CSF1R, Cogent Biosciences aims to restore immune surveillance and enhance the efficacy of existing cancer treatments.

The company’s lead asset is an orally bioavailable CSF1R inhibitor that has advanced into early-stage clinical trials for various solid tumors.