Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ:RARE) Cut to Market Perform at William Blair

William Blair cut shares of Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ:RARE) from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a report issued on Thursday morning, Marketbeat reports.

RARE has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical from $45.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $50.00 to $18.00 in a report on Thursday. HC Wainwright decreased their target price on Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical from $50.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical from a “sell (e+)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $36.63.

Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Stock Up 3.0%

RARE stock opened at $15.30 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.51 billion, a PE ratio of -2.62 and a beta of 0.31. Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical has a twelve month low of $13.81 and a twelve month high of $39.89. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $27.76 and its 200-day moving average is $24.97.

Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ:RARE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.90) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.22) by $0.32. The business had revenue of $214.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $183.08 million. Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical had a negative net margin of 81.79% and a negative return on equity of 1,024.42%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 28.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($1.17) EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical will post -3.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Karah Parschauer sold 1,899 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.62, for a total transaction of $46,753.38. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 94,462 shares in the company, valued at $2,325,654.44. This represents a 1.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Corazon (Corsee) D. Sanders sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.05, for a total transaction of $50,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 21,095 shares in the company, valued at approximately $528,429.75. The trade was a 8.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its position in Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical by 778.4% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,625 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,440 shares during the last quarter. Leonteq Securities AG increased its stake in shares of Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical by 288.5% in the first quarter. Leonteq Securities AG now owns 1,795 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 1,333 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical by 662.9% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,152 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 1,001 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical during the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical by 573.0% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,167 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 1,845 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.67% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical

Here are the key news stories impacting Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts still see substantial potential upside after the selloff. Barclays maintained an “overweight” rating with a $32 price target, while Jefferies, Citigroup, TD Cowen, Canaccord Genuity, Cantor Fitzgerald and HC Wainwright retained bullish ratings despite sharply reducing their targets.
• Positive Sentiment: Ultragenyx is evaluating “significant” cost reductions following the trial failure, which could help preserve cash and improve the company’s financial outlook. Investors are also focusing on its existing commercial rare-disease portfolio. Ultragenyx to weigh significant cost cuts as Angelman drug fails key study
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option activity and speculation that Ultragenyx could become an acquisition target provide potential—but highly speculative—support for the stock. Ultragenyx potential M&A target
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views are increasingly divided. Goldman Sachs lowered its target to $19 and moved to “neutral,” while Barclays remains “overweight” at $32. Jefferies and Citi kept “buy” ratings but reduced targets to $28. The wide range reflects uncertainty over Ultragenyx’s post-trial growth prospects.
• Negative Sentiment: RBC downgraded the company to “hold,” while Bank of America, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, Baird, Evercore, William Blair and others also reduced ratings or targets. Baird and Evercore now see only limited upside, signaling diminished confidence in the pipeline.
• Negative Sentiment: The Angelman syndrome failure creates greater dependence on Ultragenyx’s existing products and other pipeline programs. The company is weighing the future of the program, adding uncertainty around research spending, revenue growth and long-term valuation. Ultragenyx Angelman syndrome trial failure

Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Company Profile

Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapies for rare and ultra-rare genetic disorders. Since its founding in 2010 and headquarters in Novato, California, the company has built expertise in protein replacement therapies, small molecules and gene therapy approaches to address high-unmet medical needs. Ultragenyx applies a precision medicine model, leveraging both in-house research and strategic collaborations to advance its product pipeline from discovery through regulatory approval.

The company’s commercial portfolio includes Crysvita (burosumab-tmyl) for X-linked hypophosphatemia, Mepsevii (vestronidase alfa-vjbk) for mucopolysaccharidosis VII and Dojolvi (triheptanoin) for long-chain fatty acid oxidation disorders.