Pacira BioSciences (NASDAQ:PCRX) Posts Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.28 EPS

Pacira BioSciences (NASDAQ:PCRX) issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $0.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by ($0.28), FiscalAI reports. Pacira BioSciences had a return on equity of 12.82% and a net margin of 2.99%.The firm’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.91 earnings per share.

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

• EXPAREL momentum — Q4 EXPAREL sales were $155.8M, full‑year revenue was $726M, management reports durable H2 volume growth and >100M lives covered outside the surgical bundle (≈110M early 2026), and 2026 EXPAREL guidance is $600M–$620M.
• IP/exclusivity strengthened — Pacira announced a volume‑limited settlement with Fresenius providing EXPAREL runway visibility through 2039 and expanded its patent estate to 21 patents across two families.
• Pipeline entering a data‑rich phase — lead HCAd program PCRX‑201 (Phase 2 Part A top‑line data expected year‑end; Part B enrollment ~mid‑year), PCRX‑2002 in‑licensed with a Phase 2 for bunionectomy planned, and upcoming interim/readouts for ZILRETTA and iovera°.
• Margin and manufacturing gains — Q4 non‑GAAP gross margin improved to 80% from better yields at new 200L EXPAREL facilities; company targets a ~5 percentage‑point margin improvement vs 2024 and guides 77%–79% gross margin for 2026.
• Rising near‑term costs — Q4 non‑GAAP R&D rose to $34.4M (including a $5M upfront for PCRX‑2002) and SG&A to $91.9M (impacted by BD due diligence and litigation); management expects higher R&D and SG&A in 2026 while advancing the 5×30 strategy.

Pacira BioSciences Price Performance

Shares of PCRX stock traded down $0.87 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $22.59. The company had a trading volume of 2,097,569 shares, compared to its average volume of 622,751. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $22.74 and its 200 day moving average is $23.87. Pacira BioSciences has a 12 month low of $18.80 and a 12 month high of $27.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $971.82 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.20 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 3.78 and a current ratio of 5.26.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays started coverage on Pacira BioSciences in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $27.00 price objective for the company. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and set a $38.00 target price on shares of Pacira BioSciences in a report on Friday, January 9th. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Pacira BioSciences from $30.00 to $28.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Pacira BioSciences in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Pacira BioSciences from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.75.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Shawn Cross sold 9,104 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.14, for a total transaction of $228,874.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 56,250 shares in the company, valued at $1,414,125. This trade represents a 13.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Lauren Riker sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.81, for a total transaction of $83,240.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 52,313 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,088,633.53. The trade was a 7.10% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 30,416 shares of company stock worth $744,315. 6.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pacira BioSciences

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of Pacira BioSciences by 5,900.0% during 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 last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Pacira BioSciences during the 4th quarter worth $48,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Pacira BioSciences by 479.4% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,028 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 1,678 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in Pacira BioSciences in the first quarter valued at about $75,000. Finally, iSAM Funds UK Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Pacira BioSciences in the third quarter worth about $80,000. Institutional investors own 99.73% of the company’s stock.

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.