Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ARWR) Price Target Raised to $81.00

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ARWR) had its price target lifted by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from $48.00 to $81.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “equal weight” rating on the biotechnology company’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target indicates a potential upside of 23.35% from the stock’s previous close.

ARWR has been the subject of a number of other reports. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals from $70.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals from $62.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Chardan Capital upped their price target on Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals from $60.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals from $27.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $67.78.

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 7.3%

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals stock traded down $5.14 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $65.67. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,306,283 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,203,732. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 4.86 and a quick ratio of 4.86. Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals has a 52-week low of $9.57 and a 52-week high of $76.76. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $55.83 and its 200 day moving average is $35.74. The company has a market cap of $8.92 billion, a PE ratio of -824.35 and a beta of 1.21.

Insider Activity

In other Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals news, COO Patrick O’brien sold 49,493 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.11, for a total transaction of $3,123,503.23. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 474,908 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,971,443.88. This trade represents a 9.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Mauro Ferrari sold 7,530 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.00, for a total value of $527,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 69,053 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,833,710. This trade represents a 9.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 510,836 shares of company stock worth $33,603,060. Company insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ARWR. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals by 30.2% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 45,239 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $576,000 after acquiring an additional 10,496 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter valued at $514,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd grew its holdings in Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals by 40.9% in the first quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 26,969 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $343,000 after purchasing an additional 7,827 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals by 34.6% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,741,666 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $22,189,000 after buying an additional 447,456 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals by 6.9% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 15,252 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $194,000 after purchasing an additional 979 shares in the last quarter. 62.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals

Here are the key news stories impacting Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Interim Phase 1/2a obesity data showed ARO-INHBE and ARO-ALK7 reduced visceral and total fat and, in combination with tirzepatide, produced substantially larger four-month weight-loss versus tirzepatide alone — a catalyst for bullish biotech investors. BusinessWire: Interim Clinical Data
• Positive Sentiment: Press coverage highlighted that Arrowhead’s gene-silencing approach “nearly doubled” short-term weight loss when combined with Lilly’s Zepbound (tirzepatide), drawing investor attention and high call-option activity. Investors.com: Gene Silencer Doubled Zepbound’s Weight Loss
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continued to lift targets — most recently Chardan raised its price target from $60 to $80 and kept a Buy rating, providing an institutional signal that may sustain buying. Benzinga: Chardan Raises PT to $80
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually large call-option volume was recorded (several thousand calls), indicating speculative positioning around the obesity/data narrative rather than long-term conviction. Benzinga: Options Activity
• Neutral Sentiment: Independent analysis (Seeking Alpha) flagged small sample sizes and missing datasets in the obesity update — a reminder that early-phase combo results need confirmatory data; this raises uncertainty around sustainability of the rally. Seeking Alpha: More Questions Than Answers
• Negative Sentiment: Arrowhead announced proposed public offerings: $500M of convertible senior notes due 2032 plus $200M of common stock (with an option to upsize), a clear dilution and financing overhang that can cap near-term upside. BusinessWire: Proposed Offerings
• Negative Sentiment: Material insider selling this week — CEO, COO and other executives sold large blocks (SEC filings reported tens of thousands of shares each), which can weigh on sentiment even if sales are for diversification or tax reasons. InsiderTrades: Executive Sales
• Negative Sentiment: Separately, a news item linked to a first-in-class FCS siRNA approval in Canada corresponded with a short-term share drop in some headlines, showing that mixed regulatory/newsflow can trigger volatility. Yahoo Finance: Down After FCS siRNA Approval in Canada

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics. Since its founding in 2008, Arrowhead has leveraged its proprietary delivery platform—known internally as the Advanced RNAi Compound (ARC) technology—to silence disease-causing genes in patients suffering from genetically defined diseases. The company’s approach aims to offer durable, targeted treatments across a range of therapeutic areas.

The company’s pipeline includes multiple candidates in various stages of development.