On Thursday, Seres Therapeutics (NASDAQ:MCRB) experienced a revision in its stock outlook by an analyst at Oppenheimer. The firm lowered the price target for the biotechnology company to $4.00 from the previous target of $5.00, while still maintaining an Outperform rating. This adjustment followed the company's first-quarter earnings report, which showed a slight decline in sales for its product Vowst.
The company disclosed its quarterly results on Wednesday, revealing that Vowst generated $10.1 million in net sales, marking a 3% decrease from the fourth quarter of 2023. Despite the drop in sales, Seres Therapeutics reported a smaller than expected net loss of $40.1 million for the quarter. This was notably less than the estimated losses of approximately $59 million and $47 million by Oppenheimer and consensus estimates, respectively.
The reduced loss was partly due to lower collaboration losses of $2.4 million, against the estimated $13 million by Oppenheimer. The company also mentioned that data from cohort 2 of the SER-155 Phase 1b study is anticipated to be available towards the end of the third quarter. Management highlighted the company's financial flexibility, referencing the $45 million tranche from Oaktree and stating that the current cash balance of approximately $111 million is expected to sustain operations into the fourth quarter.
The analyst from Oppenheimer reiterated the Outperform rating but reduced the price target, citing the potential for either a highly dilutive financing scenario or a more favorable acquisition by Nestle. Nestle's interest in the program was inferred from a recent interview, suggesting a possible strategic move for the company's investors.
InvestingPro Insights
As Seres Therapeutics (NASDAQ:MCRB) navigates the post-earnings landscape, investors are keenly observing the company’s financial health and stock performance. According to InvestingPro data, Seres Therapeutics has a market capitalization of $113.17 million and has experienced a remarkable revenue growth of 2380.87% in the last twelve months as of Q1 2024. Despite this surge, the company has a negative P/E ratio of -1.79, reflecting its current lack of profitability.
InvestingPro Tips suggest caution, highlighting that Seres Therapeutics is quickly burning through cash and that analysts have revised their earnings downwards for the upcoming period. Furthermore, the stock has suffered a significant hit over the last week, with a one-week price total return of -32.49%. The company's struggles are compounded by weak gross profit margins, and analysts do not anticipate the company will be profitable this year. Notably, Seres Therapeutics does not pay a dividend, which might influence investor decisions regarding long-term holdings.
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