Bolt Biotherapeutics 2025 Q1 Earnings Misses Targets as Net Loss Widens 2.1%

Bolt Biotherapeutics (BOLT) reported its fiscal 2025 Q1 earnings on May 12th, 2025. Bolt Biotherapeutics missed revenue expectations in fiscal 2025 Q1, recording a 76.8% decrease in total revenue compared to the previous year. Guidance remains in-line with the company anticipating its current cash balance of $58.0 million to fund operations through mid-2026. The company is actively seeking partners to advance its pipeline products. Overall, while Bolt presented promising clinical data, its financial performance continues to face challenges.

Revenue
Bolt Biotherapeutics reported a notable decline in total revenue for 2025 Q1, which fell 76.8% to $1.22 million compared to $5.27 million in 2024 Q1. The revenue derived solely from collaboration, contributing $1.22 million to the total revenue figure.

Earnings/Net Income
The company’s losses deepened to $0.29 per share in 2025 Q1, marking a 3.6% wider loss than the $0.28 per share loss in 2024 Q1. Additionally, the net loss widened to $-11.04 million, a 2.1% increase over the $-10.81 million loss recorded in the previous year. The EPS reflects a continued struggle in financial performance.

Price Action
The stock price of Bolt Biotherapeutics edged down 0.24% during the latest trading day, climbed 6.91% during the most recent full trading week, and jumped 9.14% month-to-date.

Post-Earnings Price Action Review
The strategy of purchasing Bolt Biotherapeutics (BOLT) shares following revenue beats and holding them for 30 days appears ineffective compared to a simple buy-and-hold approach. The company has underperformed the market, registering a loss of approximately 33.1% since the year's start, against the S&P 500's decline of -3.8%. Despite surpassing revenue estimates, Bolt's earnings performance remains inconsistent, with only one EPS beat over the last four quarters, and a modest 14.71% earnings surprise this quarter. When compared to industry peers like Arcturus Therapeutics, Bolt's stock performance is less impressive, as Arcturus has surpassed EPS estimates three times recently. The biotechnology sector's inherent volatility further amplifies risks, making short-term strategies less viable. Consequently, while buying BOLT on revenue beats may offer some short-term potential, a longer investment horizon or diversified strategy is advised to navigate the industry's risks effectively.

CEO Commentary
“We continue to make progress advancing our pipeline of first-in-class, novel immunotherapies,” said Willie Quinn, Chief Executive Officer. Key growth drivers highlighted include the promising early clinical data for BDC-3042 and the opening of enrollment for BDC-4182, which targets gastric and gastroesophageal cancer. The CEO emphasized the importance of strong capital stewardship while pursuing partnerships to enhance BDC-3042's development. Overall, the leadership outlook is optimistic as the company aims to deliver new treatment options for cancer patients.

Guidance
Bolt Biotherapeutics anticipates that its current cash balance of $58.0 million will fund key milestones and operations through mid-2026. The company is actively seeking partners to accelerate the development of BDC-3042. Additionally, it expects to leverage its ISAC platform technology to optimize clinical outcomes for gastric and gastroesophageal cancer patients, reflecting a commitment to advancing its innovative pipeline.

Additional News
Bolt Biotherapeutics recently made significant strides in its immunotherapy development, particularly with BDC-3042, as evidenced by its promising Phase 1 dose-escalation study results presented at AACR 2025. The study demonstrated favorable safety and monotherapy anti-tumor activity, setting a recommended Phase 2 dose of 10 mg/kg q2w. Additionally, the company has opened enrollment for BDC-4182's Phase 1 study, targeting gastric and gastroesophageal cancers. Bolt is actively seeking partnerships to accelerate the development and commercialization of BDC-3042, leveraging its Boltbody™ ISAC platform to enhance cancer treatment options. Furthermore, Bolt continues to collaborate strategically with biopharmaceutical entities such as Genmab and Toray, focusing on innovative cancer targets.