Pacira BioSciences (NASDAQ:PCRX) Cut to “Hold” at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Pacira BioSciences (NASDAQ:PCRX) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday, MarketBeat reports. Jefferies Financial Group currently has $36.00 target price on the stock.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on PCRX. Wall Street Zen upgraded Pacira BioSciences from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 26th. Zacks Research cut Pacira BioSciences from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Leerink Partners initiated coverage on Pacira BioSciences in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $28.00 price target for the company. Needham & Company LLC lowered Pacira BioSciences from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Pacira BioSciences from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Pacira BioSciences has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.33.

Pacira BioSciences Trading Down 0.2%

NASDAQ PCRX opened at $36.31 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.45 billion, a PE ratio of 103.75 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a fifty day moving average of $25.56 and a 200 day moving average of $24.59. Pacira BioSciences has a 1 year low of $18.80 and a 1 year high of $36.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 5.04 and a quick ratio of 3.94.

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

Insider Transactions at Pacira BioSciences

In other Pacira BioSciences news, insider Jonathan Slonin sold 3,040 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.23, for a total transaction of $70,619.20. Following the transaction, the insider owned 216,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,026,600.32. This represents a 1.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 62,284 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,262,154.88. The trade was a 8.79% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 6.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pacira BioSciences

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pacira BioSciences in the second quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Pacira BioSciences during the first quarter worth approximately $46,000. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in Pacira BioSciences in the 2nd quarter valued at $78,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in Pacira BioSciences by 15.1% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,751 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 492 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Pacira BioSciences in the 2nd quarter valued at $110,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.73% of the company’s stock.

Pacira BioSciences News Roundup

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

Pacira BioSciences Company Profile

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.