HC Wainwright Issues Optimistic Forecast for BNTC Earnings

Benitec Biopharma Limited (NASDAQ:BNTC) – Equities researchers at HC Wainwright boosted their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for Benitec Biopharma in a research report issued 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 estimate of ($0.27). HC Wainwright has a “Buy” rating and a $32.00 price target 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.

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

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

Benitec Biopharma Trading Up 4.3%

Shares of BNTC stock opened at $10.91 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $11.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $13.07. The stock has a market cap of $374.80 million, a P/E ratio of -9.57 and a beta of 0.31. Benitec Biopharma has a 12 month low of $9.85 and a 12 month high of $17.15.

Institutional Trading of Benitec Biopharma

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BNTC. Suvretta Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Benitec Biopharma by 16.9% during the 4th quarter. Suvretta Capital Management LLC now owns 11,548,351 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $155,556,000 after purchasing an additional 1,671,845 shares during the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its stake in Benitec Biopharma by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 2,120,672 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $28,565,000 after acquiring an additional 148,148 shares during the last quarter. RA Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Benitec Biopharma during the 4th quarter worth approximately $24,920,000. Nantahala Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Benitec Biopharma by 23.9% during the 4th quarter. Nantahala Capital Management LLC now owns 1,038,371 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $13,987,000 after acquiring an additional 200,276 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Benitec Biopharma by 2.4% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 992,114 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $13,919,000 after purchasing an additional 22,948 shares in the last quarter. 52.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Suvretta Capital Management, L bought 77,387 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 29th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $13.44 per share, with a total value of $1,040,081.28. Following the completion of 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 purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders have purchased a total of 190,364 shares of company stock worth $2,442,105 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 4.80% of the company’s stock.

Benitec Biopharma News Summary

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.