Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ARWR) Trading Down 9.4% on Insider Selling

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARWR)’s share price dropped 9.4% during trading on Monday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $61.20 and last traded at $61.4360. Approximately 629,260 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 5% from the average daily volume of 664,139 shares. The stock had previously closed at $67.79.

Specifically, CEO Christopher Richard Anzalone sold 13,187 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.10, for a total transaction of $871,660.70. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 3,792,739 shares in the company, valued at $250,700,047.90. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider James C. Hamilton sold 40,164 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.11, for a total value of $2,534,750.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 171,958 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,852,269.38. This represents a 18.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In other news, COO Patrick O’brien sold 49,493 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.11, for a total transaction of $3,123,503.23. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 474,908 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,971,443.88. The trade was a 9.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on ARWR. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals from $50.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Bank of America upped their target price on Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals from $62.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals from $70.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals from $52.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $71.89.

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple firms raised price targets (Goldman Sachs to $85, Morgan Stanley to $81, Chardan to $80), signaling renewed analyst optimism about Arrowhead’s prospects and giving the share price directional upside. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Arrowhead released interim Phase 1/2a obesity data showing meaningful fat reductions and a combination result that nearly doubled four?month weight loss with tirzepatide — news that triggered investor interest and bullish media coverage. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call?option activity and earlier intraday spikes indicate speculative/bullish positioning around the obesity data. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Some analysts and commentators flagged small sample sizes and incomplete datasets in the obesity update, meaning clinical significance and reproducibility remain uncertain until larger cohorts and full data are published. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Arrowhead filed to sell $500M of convertible senior notes due 2032 and $200M of common stock — a material capital raise that raises dilution and financing?cost concerns for equity holders. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Large insider sales by senior executives (multiple recent Form 4 filings showing significant share disposals) are adding to market concern about near?term selling pressure. Article Title

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 7.2%

The firm has a market cap of $8.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -821.02 and a beta of 1.21. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $55.83 and its 200-day moving average is $35.74. The company has a current ratio of 4.86, a quick ratio of 4.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ARWR. iSAM Funds UK Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Virtus Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter worth approximately $34,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals by 75.9% in the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,032 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,308 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter valued at approximately $52,000. 62.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.