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RAREUltragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc.Sell5.2·$33.46+3.34%
RARE · Why this verdict

Why Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical (RARE) is rated SELL

Updated

Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

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Methodology · Editorial policy & full disclaimer

VerdictSELL
Overall score5.2/10
ConfidenceMEDIUM
MacroNEUTRAL

Thesis pillars

The analyst consensus price target of $46.85 against a current price of $25.38 implies 84.6% upside, with an average analyst rating of 8.94 out of 10 — one of the highest conviction scores in the data — and a perfect 10 out of 10 sentiment score, suggesting broad institutional optimism about the pipeline.

→Stable
Sentiment breakdown
Expectation
The stock price rises above $35 within 12 months as clinical and commercial milestones validate the analyst consensus.

CounterThree consecutive earnings misses averaging -13.5% negative surprise, with the worst miss at -49.7% in November 2025, indicate the company is falling consistently short of already-lowered expectations, calling into question the reliability of the consensus target.

Ultragenyx has missed earnings estimates in 3 of the last 4 quarters, including a -49.7% miss when it reported -$1.81 against a -$1.21 estimate in November 2025, signaling that operational or clinical costs are consistently exceeding analyst models.

→Stable
Earnings
Expectation
The company returns to earnings beats in at least 2 of the next 3 quarters.

CounterThe most recent quarter showed a -5.7% miss, which is far less severe than the November 2025 debacle, potentially signaling that the worst quarter-to-quarter variability is behind the company.

As disclosed in the 10-K, the company relies on single-source suppliers for key manufacturing materials, creating a supply chain vulnerability where any disruption could halt production of approved therapies and halt the revenue ramp needed to reduce cash burn.

→Stable
Bear case
Expectation
The company qualifies at least 1 alternative supplier for critical manufacturing inputs within the next 18 months.

CounterRare disease therapies often require specialized manufacturing partners with unique capabilities, making single-source supplier relationships structurally unavoidable in the short term.

Despite the downtrend, the stock is above its 200-day moving average with rising on-balance volume and an improving MACD, creating a recovery technical setup with an asymmetry ratio of 5.6 and a reward-to-risk ratio of 12.09 that implies exceptional risk-adjusted upside if the thesis plays out.

→Stable
Momentum breakdown
Expectation
The stock price rises above $35 while maintaining its position above the 200-day moving average for at least 10 consecutive weeks.

CounterThe 200-day moving average is declining at -2.3% per 30 days, and a stock can trade above a declining moving average temporarily before the moving average catch-up brings a technical breakdown.

TrendMatrix Research · core thesis

Engine thesis — one sentence

Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical is a rare disease biotech with analyst consensus implying 84.6% upside and a recovery-phase technical setup, but a cash burn rate of -33% of revenue, 3 consecutive earnings misses averaging -13.5% negative surprise, and a quality score of 2.4 out of 10 make the risk profile highly asymmetric with significant downside probability.

Falsifiable statement — pillar-level invalidators below. Engine-derived; not personalized advice.

Per-dimension breakdown

Value

7.2/10data confidence 67%
ComponentSub-score
P/S7.0
Fwd P/E3.1
PEG10.0
Analyst target9.0
  • â–¸Forward P/E: 34.7x
  • â–¸PEG: 0.30
  • â–¸Attractively valued

Quality

2.4/10data confidence 86%
ComponentSub-score
ROA0.0
Net margin0.0
Current ratio7.1
FCF quality0.0
Moat3.8
Piotroski F3.3
  • â–¸Cash-burning: FCF -33% of revenue
  • â–¸No competitive moat
  • â–¸Weak Piotroski F-Score: 3/9
  • â–¸Quality concerns

Growth

6.0/10data confidence 67%
ComponentSub-score
Rev growth2.0
EPS growth10.0
  • â–¸Declining revenue: -2%

Momentum

6.2/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
RSI3.7
MACD10.0
OBV10.0
MA position7.5
Volume0.0
  • â–¸Overbought (RSI 86)
  • â–¸Volume accumulation (rising OBV)
  • â–¸Above 200-MA but MA slope flat/negative + RSI 86 (late-cycle distribution risk)

Sentiment

8.1/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
Analyst rating8.9
Price target9.7
erm sentiment5.1
  • â–¸Analyst upside: 56%

Insider

5.1/10data confidence 50%
ComponentSub-score
materiality5.0
holder change5.2
  • â–¸Insider selling (low materiality) — $476,837 (0.014% of mkt cap)

Peer rank

4.1/10data confidence 80%
ComponentSub-score
value rank7.6
quality rank0.3
growth rank3.5

Technical

3.2/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
bollinger0.9
support resistance1.1
52w position5.8
gap5.0

Risk (lower is worse)

4.2/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
short interest2.0
days to cover1.0
volatility0.5
put call10.0
implied vol1.8
beta10.0
  • â–¸High short interest justified: 15%
  • â–¸High IV: 69%
  • â–¸Concentration risks: 1 HIGH, 1 MED (10-K Item 1A — sized via position_sizing, validated via buy_confidence)

Catalyst

2.5/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
erm5.0
earnings history0.0
earnings timing5.0
surprise avg0.0
  • â–¸Earnings concerns: 1B/3M

How the verdict was assembled

Engine trigger

Quality below minimum threshold.

Engine technical detail
verdict_path: L1:HARD_BLOCK
Passed (7)
  • MOMENTUM:6.2>=5.5
  • ASYMMETRY:2.7>=1.5
  • INSIDER:OK
  • NEWS_EVENTS:NONE_RECENT
  • EARNINGS_PROXIMITY:32d clear
  • SEMI_CYCLE_PEAK:CLEAR
  • MATERIALS_CYCLE_PEAK:CLEAR
Failed (0)

none

Warning (2)
  • DEATH_CROSS:momentum=6.2>=5.0 recovering
  • 8K_CSUITE_CHANGE:5.02 (officer departure/appointment)
Reward-to-Risk
2.66
Upside
+40.0%
Downside
15.0%
Sizing output
AVOID

SetupRecovery — Death cross but MACD improving, RSI 86

EdgeNo clear edge — No clear edge identified

SuitabilitySpeculative — Binary industry: Biotechnology

Investment implication

The L1 gate blocked the positive-verdict path: a hard-floor threshold was breached, so dimensional pillars — including Sentiment at 8.1 could not lift the engine output above the verdict floor.

The strongest dimensions are Sentiment at 8.1, Value at 7.2, and Momentum at 6.2; the weakest are Quality at 2.4, Catalyst at 2.5, and Technical at 3.2. The V9 engine cleared all gates with 2 warnings, producing an asymmetric reward-to-risk of 2.66 and an engine sizing output of AVOID.

What would invalidate the thesis

Falsifying conditions — when triggered, the corresponding pillar's thesis is invalidated.

  • P1Massive Analyst Upside Consensus

    Trip ifAnalyst consensus price target declines below $35, reducing implied upside to less than 40%.

  • P2Consecutive Earnings Misses

    Trip ifEPS surprise falls below -30% in at least 2 of the next 4 quarters.

  • P3Single Source Supplier Risk

    Trip ifA key supplier terminates its agreement, causing a production delay of more than 3 months.

  • P4Recovery Setup Above 200ma

    Trip ifThe stock price falls below its 200-day moving average and remains below for more than 15 consecutive trading days.

Engine reasoning is mechanically derived from pipeline gate outputs. See decision view.

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