Pacira BioSciences (NASDAQ:PCRX) Upgraded at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Pacira BioSciences (NASDAQ:PCRX) was upgraded by stock analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a $36.50 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price would suggest a potential upside of 0.30% from the stock’s current price.

PCRX has been the topic of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Pacira BioSciences from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Pacira BioSciences from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Pacira BioSciences from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Pacira BioSciences in a research note on Thursday. Finally, HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $38.00 price target on shares of Pacira BioSciences in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $31.61.

Pacira BioSciences Stock Up 44.4%

PCRX traded up $11.19 on Thursday, reaching $36.39. 28,867,028 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 802,928. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $25.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $24.41. Pacira BioSciences has a 52-week low of $18.80 and a 52-week high of $36.46. The company has a market cap of $1.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 103.97 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 5.04 and a quick ratio of 3.94.

Pacira BioSciences (NASDAQ:PCRX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.08. Pacira BioSciences had a net margin of 1.96% and a return on equity of 9.68%. The firm had revenue of $192.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $191.06 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.74 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Pacira BioSciences will post 1.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pacira BioSciences

In other news, insider Jonathan Slonin sold 3,040 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.23, for a total transaction of $70,619.20. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 216,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,026,600.32. The trade was a 1.39% 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. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 6.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PCRX. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Pacira BioSciences in the second quarter valued at about $7,532,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Pacira BioSciences during the 2nd quarter valued at about $6,089,000. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in Pacira BioSciences during the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,076,000. PDT Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Pacira BioSciences in the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,358,000. Finally, Man Group plc acquired a new stake in shares of Pacira BioSciences during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,181,000. 99.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Pacira BioSciences

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

• Positive Sentiment: Viatris agreed to acquire Pacira for $36.50 per share in cash, valuing the equity at approximately $1.65 billion. The transaction offers shareholders a defined cash exit and places the stock close to the proposed purchase price. The deal is expected to close by the end of 2026, subject to customary conditions. Viatris Agrees to Acquire Pacira BioSciences
• Positive Sentiment: The acquisition gives Viatris control of Pacira’s marketed non-opioid pain medicines, Exparel and Zilretta. Viatris expects to use its international infrastructure and commercial capabilities to expand the products, while citing potential synergies with its fast-acting meloxicam opportunity. Viatris to Buy Pacira BioSciences for $1.65 Billion
• Neutral Sentiment: Needham reaffirmed its “hold” rating. Earlier, Truist raised its target to $31 and maintained a “buy” rating, but that target is below the proposed takeover price.
• Negative Sentiment: Ademi LLP and Halper Sadeh LLP announced investigations into whether the $36.50 offer fairly values Pacira, whether directors adequately protected shareholders, and whether insiders received favorable benefits. These announcements could increase deal-related uncertainty, although shareholder law-firm investigations are common after public takeovers. PCRX Shareholder Alert: Ademi LLP Investigation
• Negative Sentiment: Unusual options activity indicated bearish positioning in PCRX, while Zacks recently downgraded the stock to “strong sell.” These signals are secondary to the acquisition announcement but highlight potential concerns about valuation or deal risk.

Pacira BioSciences Company Profile

Pacira BioSciences, Inc is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing non-opioid pain-management products. The company’s portfolio is designed to help manage acute and chronic pain while reducing reliance on traditional opioid therapies.

Its principal product is EXPAREL, an extended-release formulation of bupivacaine used to provide postsurgical pain relief. Pacira also markets ZILRETTA, an extended-release corticosteroid injection for osteoarthritis-related knee pain, and the iovera° system, a handheld cryoanalgesia device intended to temporarily block peripheral nerves and provide targeted pain relief.

Originally known as Pacira Pharmaceuticals, the company adopted the name Pacira BioSciences in 2018 to reflect its broader focus on innovative therapies and technologies.