Key Points
- Insider sale: Chris Francis sold 33,194 shares on Feb 26 at an average of $15.05 for about $499,570, reducing his position by ~34.9% to 61,867 shares.
- Mixed fundamentals but near‑term catalyst: WAVE missed Q4 EPS (‑$0.30 vs. ‑$0.28) despite $17.25M revenue and continues to show large negative margins and ROE, while advancing its INHBE obesity program (WVE‑007) with an INLIGHT data update expected in 1Q 2026 that showed early fat‑loss signals.
WAVE Life Sciences Ltd. (NASDAQ:WVE - Get Free Report) insider Chris Francis sold 33,194 shares of WAVE Life Sciences stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.05, for a total value of $499,569.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 61,867 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $931,098.35. The trade was a 34.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.
Chris Francis also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Monday, February 9th, Chris Francis sold 1,883 shares of WAVE Life Sciences stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.45, for a total transaction of $25,326.35.
- On Friday, January 2nd, Chris Francis sold 9,375 shares of WAVE Life Sciences stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.03, for a total transaction of $150,281.25.
- On Monday, December 8th, Chris Francis sold 441,031 shares of WAVE Life Sciences stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.57, for a total value of $6,425,821.67.
WAVE Life Sciences Trading Down 9.3%
Shares of NASDAQ WVE opened at $13.93 on Friday. WAVE Life Sciences Ltd. has a 12-month low of $5.28 and a 12-month high of $21.73. The company has a market cap of $2.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -11.42 and a beta of -1.78. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $14.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $10.79.
WAVE Life Sciences (NASDAQ:WVE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported ($0.30) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.28) by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $17.25 million for the quarter. WAVE Life Sciences had a negative return on equity of 140.75% and a negative net margin of 478.35%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that WAVE Life Sciences Ltd. will post -1.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
WAVE Life Sciences News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting WAVE Life Sciences this week:
- Positive Sentiment: INHBE obesity program progressing — Wave is advancing WVE‑007 (INHBE GalNAc‑siRNA) and is positioning it as a once‑ or twice‑yearly obesity treatment; early data show fat loss at three months similar to GLP‑1s while preserving muscle, which if confirmed could be a high‑value, low‑frequency dosing differentiator. Wave Life Sciences targets once or twice yearly obesity treatment as INHBE program advances
- Positive Sentiment: On track for near‑term clinical readout — Company press release reiterates INLIGHT data update expected in 1Q 2026 and highlights durable fat‑loss signals and dose‑response expectations for WVE‑007, providing a clear upcoming catalyst. Wave Life Sciences Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results and Provides Business Update
- Neutral Sentiment: Q4 call and transcript show mixed messaging — Management walked through a revenue beat but flagged pressures and gave operational context on the pipeline; the call transcript and highlight pieces provide detail for modeling near‑term revenue and R&D cadence. Wave Life Sciences Ltd. (WVE) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
- Negative Sentiment: Earnings miss and weak profitability metrics — WVE reported Q4 EPS of ($0.30), missing consensus by $0.02, though revenue of $17.25M topped expectations; the company still shows large negative margins and negative ROE, underscoring continued cash burn and dilution risk. Wave Life Sciences (WVE) Reports Q4 Loss, Tops Revenue Estimates
- Negative Sentiment: Insider sale by a senior executive — Chris Francis sold 33,194 shares (~$15.05 avg), cutting his ownership nearly 35%; while insider sales can be for personal reasons, markets often interpret sizable reductions by executives as a near‑term negative signal. Chris Francis insider sale
Hedge Funds Weigh In On WAVE Life Sciences
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WVE. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC increased its position in shares of WAVE Life Sciences by 10.2% in the second quarter. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC now owns 13,060 shares of the company's stock worth $85,000 after acquiring an additional 1,210 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in shares of WAVE Life Sciences by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 95,706 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,627,000 after purchasing an additional 1,441 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. lifted its position in shares of WAVE Life Sciences by 18.7% in the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 11,444 shares of the company's stock worth $74,000 after buying an additional 1,802 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in WAVE Life Sciences by 645.2% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,243 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,942 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of WAVE Life Sciences by 32.1% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 8,124 shares of the company's stock worth $138,000 after buying an additional 1,972 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.73% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of research analysts have issued reports on WVE shares. UBS Group set a $32.00 target price on shares of WAVE Life Sciences in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Leerink Partners reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of WAVE Life Sciences in a report on Monday, December 8th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on WAVE Life Sciences from $24.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Citigroup increased their price objective on WAVE Life Sciences from $16.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Wedbush lifted their target price on WAVE Life Sciences from $20.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $33.00.
View Our Latest Report on WVE
WAVE Life Sciences Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
WAVE Life Sciences is a clinical-stage genetic medicines company focused on the discovery and development of stereopure oligonucleotide therapies designed to address serious diseases with high unmet medical need. Leveraging proprietary chemistry and precision synthesis, WAVE engineers drug candidates with defined stereochemistry to optimize potency, safety and manufacturability. This approach aims to enhance target specificity and improve therapeutic profiles compared with traditional oligonucleotide medicines.
The company's pipeline includes programs in neuromuscular disorders such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy and neurodegenerative conditions including Huntington's disease, as well as early-stage cardiovascular and liver indications.
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