HC Wainwright Issues Positive Estimate for BNTC Earnings

Benitec Biopharma Limited (NASDAQ:BNTC) – Investment analysts at HC Wainwright increased their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for Benitec Biopharma in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, March 2nd. HC Wainwright analyst R. Selvaraju now forecasts that the biotechnology company will earn ($0.25) per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of ($0.27). HC Wainwright has a “Buy” rating and a $32.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for Benitec Biopharma’s current full-year earnings is ($1.48) per share. HC Wainwright also issued estimates for Benitec Biopharma’s Q4 2026 earnings at ($0.24) EPS, FY2026 earnings at ($0.97) EPS and FY2027 earnings at ($1.41) EPS.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Benitec Biopharma from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Benitec Biopharma from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Benitec Biopharma currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $27.67.

Benitec Biopharma Stock Up 4.3%

NASDAQ BNTC opened at $10.91 on Thursday. Benitec Biopharma has a 52 week low of $9.85 and a 52 week high of $17.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $374.80 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.57 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a fifty day moving average of $11.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $13.07.

Benitec Biopharma (NASDAQ:BNTC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.23) by ($0.03).

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Suvretta Capital Management, L bought 77,387 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 29th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $13.44 per share, for a total transaction of $1,040,081.28. Following the acquisition, the director owned 9,700,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $130,370,620.80. This represents a 0.80% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Over the last three months, insiders acquired 190,364 shares of company stock worth $2,442,105. Insiders own 4.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Benitec Biopharma

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new position in Benitec Biopharma during the 4th quarter valued at about $424,000. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Benitec Biopharma by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 262,205 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $3,532,000 after purchasing an additional 1,786 shares during the period. RA Capital Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Benitec Biopharma during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $24,920,000. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its holdings in Benitec Biopharma by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 2,120,672 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $28,565,000 after buying an additional 148,148 shares during the period. Finally, Persistent Asset Partners Ltd purchased a new position in Benitec Biopharma during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $280,000. 52.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Benitec Biopharma News

Here are the key news stories impacting Benitec Biopharma this week:

• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright trimmed its loss forecasts across 2026 and issued detailed 2027 guidance — Q3 2026 EPS now expected at ($0.25) (from ($0.27)), Q4 2026 at ($0.24) (from ($0.29)), and FY2026 at ($0.97) (from ($1.00)). The firm projects FY2027 EPS of ($1.41) with quarterly 2027 estimates of Q1 ($0.32), Q2 ($0.33), Q3 ($0.36) and Q4 ($0.39). HC Wainwright keeps a “Buy” rating and a $32.00 price target, implying substantial upside versus the current share price — this analyst optimism is the primary driver of the stock’s gain. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short‑interest data shows zero shares on record and a 0.0 days‑to‑cover figure — likely a reporting anomaly or indicates no meaningful short pressure; this data point appears neutral to the share move (does not explain today’s buying). Read More.

Benitec Biopharma Company Profile

Benitec Biopharma Ltd (NASDAQ: BNTC) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing gene-silencing therapies for serious human diseases. The company’s proprietary DNA-directed RNA interference (ddRNAi) platform is designed to enable sustained expression of small RNA molecules that specifically target and silence disease-causing genes. By integrating RNAi sequences directly into DNA constructs, ddRNAi aims to provide a long-term therapeutic effect from a single administration.

Benitec’s lead programs include development of ddRNAi candidates for chronic hepatitis B virus infection and for certain ocular conditions.