Financial services firm Stifel adjusted its outlook on Sage Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SAGE), a biopharmaceutical company, while it revised the stock's price target downward to $15 from the previous $20 while retaining a Hold rating on the shares.
The adjustment comes as Sage Therapeutics continues to see its product Zurzuvae perform modestly above consensus in the treatment of postpartum depression (PPD (NASDAQ:PPD)), despite a significant inventory drawdown. In addition to the product performance, the company has made a strategic change to the primary endpoint for its Phase 2 DIMENSION study of SAGE-718, which is being tested for Huntington's Disease-related cognitive impairment (HD-CI).
The new primary endpoint will be the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), a subscale of the Huntington's Disease Cognitive Assessment Battery (HD-CAB). This decision was based on "directionally positive" changes observed in SURVEYOR, a smaller study on Huntington's Disease, which showed a "small numerical difference" on the HD-CAB scale.
Despite these updates, the analyst noted that there are still many unanswered questions, particularly as no actual data from the SURVEYOR study has been released, and it remains uncertain whether regulators would accept a subscale as a primary endpoint if the next study yields positive results.
Sage reported mixed results for Q2 2024 with a net loss of $102.9 million but also expressed optimism for its postpartum depression treatment, ZURZUVAE, which exhibited a 19% increase in revenue to $7.4 million. This growth represents 50% of net revenues.
Despite the discontinuation of SAGE-324 due to negative results, Sage appears to be committed to its ongoing projects, including the expansion of its sales force in Q4 to meet growing demand for ZURZUVAE.
InvestingPro Insights
As Sage Therapeutics navigates the challenges of developing treatments for complex conditions like postpartum depression and Huntington's Disease-related cognitive impairment, real-time data from InvestingPro paints a detailed financial picture of the company. With a market capitalization of approximately $658.99 million, Sage's financial health is characterized by a striking revenue growth of 868.96% over the last twelve months as of Q1 2024. This growth is tempered by the company's negative gross profit margin of -271.55% and an operating income margin of -558.59%, indicating significant costs outweighing revenues.
InvestingPro Tips highlight that while Sage holds more cash than debt on its balance sheet, it is quickly burning through cash, which is a crucial factor for investors to consider. Moreover, analysts have revised their earnings expectations downwards for the upcoming period, and they do not anticipate the company will be profitable this year. Despite these challenges, Sage's liquid assets still exceed its short-term obligations, providing some financial cushioning.
For those looking for deeper insights and more InvestingPro Tips, there are 10 additional tips available on InvestingPro, which could provide further guidance on the stock's potential. With the next earnings date set for November 5, 2024, investors will be watching closely to see if the company can leverage its pipeline to deliver the positive surprises that the market is seeking.
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