Pacira BioSciences (NASDAQ:PCRX) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Pacira BioSciences (NASDAQ:PCRX) issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.61 by ($0.01), FiscalAI reports. Pacira BioSciences had a return on equity of 9.99% and a net margin of 0.70%.The firm had revenue of $177.38 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $171.80 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.65 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis.

Here are the key takeaways from Pacira BioSciences’ conference call:

• EXPAREL is showing renewed momentum with Q1 net sales of $143.3M (volume ~+7% YoY), expanded reimbursement outside the surgical bundle to >110 million covered lives, a new product-specific J-code, and strengthened IP protection with 21 Orange Book-listed patents.
• PCRX-201 (HCAd gene therapy for knee OA) is on a catalyst-rich path — Part A top-line (safety-focused) due later this year and Part B ~90-patient enrollment planned mid-year — but efficacy is early-stage and the program remains high-risk/high-reward.
• Early-intervention portfolio traction — Zilretta sales rose ~15% in Q1 with Phase III shoulder OA enrollment complete (top-line later this year), and iovera sales rose ~21% with a registrational spasticity readout expected by year-end.
• Management reiterated full-year 2026 guidance (total revenues $745–$770M, EXPAREL sales $600–$620M), reported strong adjusted EBITDA (~$40.2M in Q1), ended the quarter with $202M cash, and executed another $50M share repurchase (≈9M shares retired to date), supporting capital-return and financial flexibility.
• Near-term headwinds include revenue pressure from vial-mix shifts and GPO-driven discounting, Q1 shipping/return disruptions from winter storms, elevated SG&A tied to proxy activities, and policy uncertainty as the NOPAIN Act is currently set to expire in 2027.

Pacira BioSciences Trading Down 4.1%

PCRX stock traded down $1.05 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $24.44. The company had a trading volume of 1,665,896 shares, compared to its average volume of 479,894. The stock has a market cap of $989.58 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 162.93 and a beta of 0.19. Pacira BioSciences has a 52 week low of $18.80 and a 52 week high of $27.64. The company has a current ratio of 4.54, a quick ratio of 3.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $23.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $23.14.

Key Pacira BioSciences News

Here are the key news stories impacting Pacira BioSciences this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Needham & Company raised its price target to $32 and maintained a Buy rating — this implies ~31.7% upside from the recent price and serves as a strong bullish analyst catalyst for investors focused on upside potential. Needham PT Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations: revenue of ~$177M (+5% YoY) and EPS of $0.60 topped consensus, driven by commercial portfolio growth (including EXAPAREL volume growth). That operational beat supports near-term revenue trajectory and validates current demand. Q1 Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline progress: Pacira advanced PCRX-201 into Phase II and completed enrollment in a Phase 3 shoulder OA study for ZILRETTA, keeping multiple clinical milestones on the calendar that could drive medium-term upside if readouts are positive. Pipeline & Guidance Summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target from $22 to $24 but kept a “sector perform” rating — the PT is only marginally changed relative to the market and signals a cautious stance despite the bump. RBC PT Update
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings materials and the call highlighted “strong product growth” and provided detail on product mix and market dynamics — helpful context but not an immediate directional shock. Earnings Call Highlights
• Negative Sentiment: FY2026 revenue guidance of $745M–$770M sits slightly under consensus (~$761.5M at the time of the news), leaving the guidance a bit cautious and a potential near-term headwind if investors expected a clearer upside beat. Guidance Article
• Negative Sentiment: Overall market reaction is negative today (heavier-than-normal volume), reflecting investor caution as they reconcile the mixed signals: solid quarter and pipeline news vs. conservative-to-in-line guidance and at least one cautious analyst stance. Market Data

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PCRX has been the subject of several research reports. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on Pacira BioSciences from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $38.00 target price on shares of Pacira BioSciences in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Barclays cut their target price on Pacira BioSciences from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Wall Street Zen lowered Pacira BioSciences from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Pacira BioSciences from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Pacira BioSciences currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $29.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Lauren Riker sold 4,000 shares of Pacira BioSciences stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.81, for a total value of $83,240.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 52,313 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,088,633.53. The trade was a 7.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Shawn Cross sold 12,941 shares of Pacira BioSciences stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.16, for a total transaction of $325,595.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 105,341 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,650,379.56. The trade was a 10.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 32,261 shares of company stock valued at $785,850 over the last three months. 6.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in shares of Pacira BioSciences by 5,900.0% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 1,475 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pacira BioSciences in the fourth quarter worth $48,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Pacira BioSciences by 479.4% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,028 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 1,678 shares during the period. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Pacira BioSciences in the first quarter worth $75,000. Finally, iSAM Funds UK Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Pacira BioSciences in the third quarter worth $80,000. 99.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Pacira BioSciences

Pacira BioSciences, Inc is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing non-opioid, non-addictive pain management and regenerative health solutions. The company’s flagship product, EXPAREL, is a bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension designed to provide long-lasting postsurgical analgesia. EXPAREL is used by clinicians across a broad range of surgical procedures to reduce reliance on opioid medications and to help manage acute postoperative pain.

In addition to its marketed offering, Pacira maintains an active pipeline of investigational products aimed at addressing unmet needs in pain management and inflammation control.