Pacira BioSciences (NASDAQ:PCRX) Cut to Hold at HC Wainwright

HC Wainwright cut shares of Pacira BioSciences (NASDAQ:PCRX) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Friday, Marketbeat reports. HC Wainwright currently has $36.50 price target on the stock, down from their prior price target of $38.00.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Pacira BioSciences from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $36.00 price target for the company. in a report on Thursday. Truist Financial increased their price target on Pacira BioSciences from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Leerink Partners began coverage on Pacira BioSciences in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $28.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded Pacira BioSciences from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Pacira BioSciences from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.33.

Pacira BioSciences Stock Performance

Shares of Pacira BioSciences stock opened at $36.31 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.45 billion, a PE ratio of 103.75 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a current ratio of 5.04, a quick ratio of 3.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $25.56 and its 200 day moving average is $24.61. Pacira BioSciences has a 1 year low of $18.80 and a 1 year high of $36.46.

Pacira BioSciences (NASDAQ:PCRX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $192.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $191.06 million. Pacira BioSciences had a net margin of 1.96% and a return on equity of 9.68%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.74 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Pacira BioSciences will post 1.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Pacira BioSciences news, insider Jonathan Slonin sold 3,040 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.23, for a total transaction of $70,619.20. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 216,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,026,600.32. The trade was a 1.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Lauren Riker sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.32, for a total transaction of $217,920.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 62,284 shares in the company, valued at $2,262,154.88. The trade was a 8.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 6.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pacira BioSciences

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Pacira BioSciences in the second quarter worth $7,532,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in Pacira BioSciences during the 2nd quarter worth $6,089,000. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in Pacira BioSciences during the 2nd quarter worth $5,076,000. PDT Partners LLC bought a new position in Pacira BioSciences during the 2nd quarter worth $3,358,000. Finally, Man Group plc bought a new position in Pacira BioSciences during the 2nd quarter worth $3,181,000. Institutional investors own 99.73% of the company’s stock.

Key Pacira BioSciences News

Here are the key news stories impacting Pacira BioSciences this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Viatris agreed to buy Pacira for $36.50 per share in cash, valuing the equity at approximately $1.65 billion. The transaction gives shareholders a defined exit price and is expected to close by the end of 2026, subject to customary conditions. Viatris acquisition announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Viatris will add Pacira’s marketed non-opioid pain therapies, EXPAREL and ZILRETTA, along with a clinical-stage gene therapy candidate. Viatris expects the deal to expand its pain portfolio and be immediately accretive to its financial guidance metrics.
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC said a superior competing bid is unlikely, reducing the prospect of a higher offer but also lowering takeover uncertainty. The stock’s upside is therefore largely capped near the $36.50 consideration unless another bidder emerges. RBC superior bid analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst actions largely reflect the announced deal: JPMorgan upgraded PCRX to neutral, while RBC and Truist raised targets to $36.50 and maintained sector perform or hold ratings. HC Wainwright maintained neutral with a $36.50 target, and Jefferies kept hold with a $36.00 target.
• Negative Sentiment: Several shareholder-rights law firms are investigating whether Pacira’s board obtained fair value and conducted an adequate sale process. These investigations could create legal or procedural distractions, although no wrongdoing has been established. Shareholder investigation

About Pacira BioSciences

Pacira BioSciences, Inc is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing non-opioid pain-management products. The company’s portfolio is designed to help manage acute and chronic pain while reducing reliance on traditional opioid therapies.

Its principal product is EXPAREL, an extended-release formulation of bupivacaine used to provide postsurgical pain relief. Pacira also markets ZILRETTA, an extended-release corticosteroid injection for osteoarthritis-related knee pain, and the iovera° system, a handheld cryoanalgesia device intended to temporarily block peripheral nerves and provide targeted pain relief.

Originally known as Pacira Pharmaceuticals, the company adopted the name Pacira BioSciences in 2018 to reflect its broader focus on innovative therapies and technologies.