Leerink Partners downgrades Sarepta stock on FDA concerns and credibility issues

Published 21/07/2025, 09:12
Leerink Partners downgrades Sarepta stock on FDA concerns and credibility issues

Investing.com - Leerink Partners downgraded Sarepta Therapeutics (NASDAQ:SRPT) from Outperform to Market Perform and slashed its price target to $10.00 from $45.00. The stock, which has lost over 90% of its value in the past year, now trades near its 52-week low of $12.81. According to InvestingPro, the company’s market capitalization has dropped to $1.38 billion.

The downgrade follows the FDA’s request for Sarepta to voluntarily halt all shipments of Elevidys, its treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

Leerink cited significant concerns with management’s credibility and noted it is "plausible that Elevidys may be entirely removed from the market."

The firm had maintained its previous Outperform rating despite two earlier deaths following treatment with Elevidys, with its investment thesis based on expected discounted cash flows from the company.

Leerink’s decision to downgrade came after a management conference call regarding the limb-girdle muscular dystrophy program and a recent death, combined with the FDA’s request to stop Elevidys shipments.

In other recent news, Sarepta Therapeutics has faced significant developments concerning its gene therapy treatments. Deutsche Bank (ETR:DBKGn) downgraded Sarepta from Hold to Sell, reducing its price target to $9.00 due to safety concerns linked to its Elevidys treatment and a reported patient death in a limb-girdle study. Similarly, Baird downgraded the company from Outperform to Neutral, citing existential uncertainty and transparency issues regarding Elevidys. BMO Capital lowered its price target to $50.00, maintaining a Market Perform rating, following Sarepta’s management call addressing the patient death. BofA Securities also reduced its price target to $20.00, maintaining a Neutral rating, and noted the risks of acute liver failure associated with Sarepta’s therapies. Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) reiterated its Equalweight rating and a $40.00 price target, acknowledging the challenges posed by the third patient death. The company has halted further development of its limb-girdle program, citing financial reasons, while continuing with its biologics license application for SRP-9003. Sarepta plans to keep Elevidys available for younger patients, despite anticipated limited uptake.

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