Citigroup Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Arcturus Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ARCT) Stock Price

Arcturus Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ARCT) had its price target reduced by equities research analysts at Citigroup from $66.00 to $21.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the biotechnology company’s stock. Citigroup’s target price suggests a potential upside of 189.66% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on ARCT. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Arcturus Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Roth Mkm assumed coverage on shares of Arcturus Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $20.00 target price on the stock. HC Wainwright dropped their price target on shares of Arcturus Therapeutics from $12.00 to $9.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Arcturus Therapeutics from $72.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Arcturus Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, December 13th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $30.33.

Arcturus Therapeutics Stock Performance

ARCT stock traded down $0.33 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $7.25. 473,351 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 474,978. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $7.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $11.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $205.97 million, a PE ratio of -3.05 and a beta of 2.40. Arcturus Therapeutics has a one year low of $5.85 and a one year high of $24.17.

Arcturus Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ARCT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The biotechnology company reported ($1.03) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.92) by ($0.11). Arcturus Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 28.63% and a negative net margin of 80.19%.The firm had revenue of $7.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.32 million. On average, equities analysts expect that Arcturus Therapeutics will post -2.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Arcturus Therapeutics

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ARCT. ARK Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Arcturus Therapeutics by 9.2% during the third quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 1,872,721 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $34,514,000 after buying an additional 157,681 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its stake in Arcturus Therapeutics by 6.3% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,947,835 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $35,899,000 after purchasing an additional 115,368 shares in the last quarter. Amova Asset Management Americas Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Arcturus Therapeutics by 6.4% during the third quarter. Amova Asset Management Americas Inc. now owns 1,947,835 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $35,879,000 after purchasing an additional 117,632 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd increased its position in Arcturus Therapeutics by 92.5% in the 2nd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 44,432 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $578,000 after buying an additional 21,355 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in Arcturus Therapeutics by 101.7% in the second quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 32,332 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $421,000 after acquiring an additional 16,306 shares in the last quarter. 94.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Arcturus Therapeutics

Here are the key news stories impacting Arcturus Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company plans to launch a 12?week Phase II trial in cystic fibrosis and expects regulatory clarity for ARCT?810 in 2026 — a clear clinical catalyst that could re?rate the stock if data or guidance is favorable. Arcturus outlines 12-week Phase II CF trial launch and expects regulatory clarity for ARCT-810 in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Management will appear at the Leerink Partners 2026 Global Healthcare Conference (fireside chat on Mar 11), increasing investor access and visibility ahead of upcoming developmental and regulatory milestones. Arcturus Therapeutics to Attend Upcoming Investor Conference
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target from $7 to $8 and maintained a neutral rating — a modest positive to sentiment but not a strong upgrade. Citigroup raises price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short?interest data in recent feeds appears inconsistent/zero and likely reflects reporting noise rather than a clear short?squeeze signal; treat these figures cautiously. (Data item compiled from market feeds.)
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 results disappointed: GAAP loss per share of $1.03 missed consensus (~$0.92) and revenue of ~$7.2M fell well short of estimates (~$14.3M), pressuring near?term sentiment and valuation expectations. Arcturus Q4 press release / financials
• Negative Sentiment: Piper Sandler sharply reduced its price target from $72 to $25 (still “overweight”), which lowers long?term street expectations and may increase short?term selling pressure despite the maintained rating. Piper Sandler lowers price target
• Negative Sentiment: Market coverage highlighted the weak quarter as the reason for a sell?off in early March; revenue shortfall and a wider loss raise funding and runway questions until clinical progress materializes. Arcturus falls on weak quarterly revenue

Arcturus Therapeutics Company Profile

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.