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HERON THERAPEUTICS, INC. /DE/

HRTX · Healthcare · $85.8M mkt cap · FY2025 filings · No moat ·

Doesn't clear the bar

No moat
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The five investor questions

65

2021–2025 (latest 5 aligned FYs; v3 window cap 5): revenue $86.3M to $155M, increasing; diluted EPS -2.24 to -0.12, increasing.

75

Median gross margin 61.8% over 10y, variable.

0

Median ROIC -50.1%, above the 12% hurdle in 0% of years.

28

Net debt/EBITDA n/ax, interest coverage -0x.

24

Owner earnings changed trend unclear over up to the ten most recent annual observations.

Price vs. value if growth stopped today

A cautious baseline, not a price target: what the shares may support if normalized owner earnings simply hold steady.

Above value if growth stopped todayBelow value if growth stopped today
No price data
Not reported
Unavailable — insufficient owner-earnings data
Unavailable — insufficient growth-model data
$0.46
No price data

This zero-growth estimate assumes trailing owner earnings persist — unreliable for declining businesses. The recent FY revenue series does not trigger the three-consecutive-declines flag.

Among the current top-score group, the median current price is 239% above the zero-growth estimate across 48 of the current top 50 companies by Moat Score with both values.

Score records captured Jul 26, 2026.

Exactly which 50 companies?

FTNT, META, MEDP, IBEX, MSFT, GOOGL, LULU, ANF, IDXX, TXRH, FHI, QLYS, FFIV, ADBE, LLY, MANH, VEEV, GRMN, SSD, MNST, DOCS, MCO, CPRT, NTAP, LRCX, NVDA, CORT, SFM, MPTI, ULTA, SN, RMD, ROL, PAYC, IRMD, INTU, DECK, MORN, LGCY, DAL, GWW, ISRG, MPWR, CTAS, LOPE, MRK, CMG, FAST, BKNG, ORLY

Missing a usable price or zero-growth estimate: ANF, BKNG.

Model details under moat-index@3.0.0: zero-growth multiple 11.1×, capped-growth comparison at no more than 18×; 9% discount rate; high-end growth 0% (capped at 4%) using min(5y revenue CAGR, 5y diluted-EPS CAGR), clamped to 0%–4%; maintenance capex uses min(capex, D&A); abstain when D&A is unavailable. This is a disclosed model range, not intrinsic value as fact.

18 years of fundamentals

The business, in plain English

HERON THERAPEUTICS, INC. /DE/ booked $155M of revenue in FY2025 in the Healthcare sector and kept 73.3% of it as gross profit — a high-margin business by that measure. After every other cost, −13.0% of each revenue dollar reached the bottom line.

Across the filed record, revenue grew from $1.3M (FY2016) to $155M (FY2025) — about 70.4% a year compounded over 9 years.

ROIC is not available for the latest filed year, FY2025. Across the full 4-year measurable filed record, median ROIC was −93.7%. Over the v3 recent window (3 measurable filed years), median ROIC was −50.1%. The Returns on Capital filter above scores it 0/100.

HRTX's latest filed year, FY2025, doesn't disclose total debt in a form the methodology can use, so current leverage is treated as unmeasured — never assumed to be zero.

Put together: Pricing Power is the strongest of the five filters (75/100) and Returns on Capital the weakest (0/100), which is how HRTX lands at 38/100 — a None moat.

This breakdown is generated from the filed numbers and sub-scores above — no outside narrative, no estimates. Where a filing doesn’t disclose an input, the sentence that would need it is omitted instead of guessed.

FY2008–FY2025 · 18 fiscal years, normalized from HRTX’s SEC filings

Sales, as filed$155M FY2025
$0$100M2008201420202025
Revenue kept after cost of goods73.3% FY2025
0%50%100%2008201420202025
Standard ROIC or separately labeled Operating ROICROIC −137.2% FY2020
−100%0%2008201420202025
Cash an owner could take out−$18.2M FY2025
−$200M−$100M$02008201420202025

Gaps in a line mean that item isn’t in HRTX’s filings for that year. The series is never interpolated or estimated. The Table view lists every filed value, including operating and net margins, total debt, and share count.

Flagship explainer

How HERON THERAPEUTICS, INC. /DE/ makes its money

Start with a dollar of revenue and follow what the filing says remains.

revenueBranching filed flows with values and percentages directly labeled. Missing filing concepts are omitted rather than estimated.Revenue$155M · 100%Cost of revenue$41.3M · 27%Gross profit$114M · 73%Operating income−$2.5M · −2%Income before tax−$20.2M · −13%Income tax$0 · 0%Net income−$20.2M · −13%As of 2025-12-31 · 1 SEC filing sourceBuy Like Buffett · buylikebuffett.com

Honest partial: the filing did not provide a normalized tag for Research and development, Selling, general and administrative; those components are omitted, not plugged.

Table alternative
Filed lineValue% of revenueSource
$155M100%
Cost of revenue$41.3M27%
$114M73%
−$2.5M−2%
Income before tax−$20.2M−13%
Income tax$00%
−$20.2M−13%
Source: · event Dec 31, 2025 · retrieved Jul 26, 2026 · annual-row source set
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Flagship explainer

What HERON THERAPEUTICS, INC. /DE/ owns — and owes

HERON THERAPEUTICS, INC. /DE/'s filing tags don't support a full breakdown — here's what is filed:

Table alternative
Filed lineValue% of assetsSource
Total assets$256M100%
Cash and equivalents$28.6M11%
Stockholders’ equity$14.3M6%
Source: · event Dec 31, 2025 · retrieved Jul 26, 2026 · annual-row source set

Flagship explainer

What drives HERON THERAPEUTICS, INC. /DE/’s return on equity?

ROE is five filed business factors multiplied together.

DuPont return on equity factor treeReturn on equity branches into tax burden, interest burden, operating margin, asset turnover, and the equity multiplier.Return on equity209%Tax burden100%net income ÷ pretax incomeInterest burden796%pretax ÷ operating incomeOperating margin−2%operating income ÷ revenueAsset turnover0.63×revenue ÷ average assetsEquity multiplier-25.31×average assets ÷ average equityAs of 2025-12-31 · 1 SEC filing sourceBuy Like Buffett · buylikebuffett.com
DuPont source inputs
InputValueFiscal yearSource
−$20.2MFY2025
Income before tax−$20.2MFY2025
Operating income−$2.5MFY2025
$155MFY2025
Ending assets$256MFY2025
Beginning assets$233MFY2024
$14.3MFY2025
−$33.7MFY2024
Source:
  • SEC filingFiling detailsAccession 0001193125-26-073515
· event Dec 31, 2025 · retrieved Jul 26, 2026 · annual-row source set
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Flagship explainer

Where HERON THERAPEUTICS, INC. /DE/'s cash went

HERON THERAPEUTICS, INC. /DE/’s filing does not supply enough provenance-matched cash-flow lines for a truthful flow chart — here’s what is filed:

Table alternative
Filed lineValue% of cash from operationsSource
Cash from operations−$27.6M−100%
Depreciation and amortization$2.3M8%
Source: · event Dec 31, 2025 · retrieved Jul 26, 2026 · annual-row source set

Curated 19-manager tier

Who reported holding HERON THERAPEUTICS, INC. /DE/

Delayed public 13F reports for 2026-Q2—not live positions, trades, or recommendations.

0 holding0 exited0 not holding0/19 resolved19 unavailable

Named manager positions and quarter-over-quarter changes
ManagerReported positionQuarter-over-quarterFiling accession
Abrams CapitalUnavailableComparison unavailableFiling unavailable
Akre CapitalUnavailableComparison unavailableFiling unavailable
Baupost GroupUnavailableComparison unavailableFiling unavailable
Berkshire HathawayUnavailableComparison unavailableFiling unavailable
Brave Warrior AdvisorsUnavailableComparison unavailableFiling unavailable
Dodge & CoxUnavailableComparison unavailableFiling unavailable
First EagleUnavailableComparison unavailableFiling unavailable
FundsmithUnavailableComparison unavailableFiling unavailable
Gardner Russo & QuinnUnavailableComparison unavailableFiling unavailable
Gates Foundation TrustUnavailableComparison unavailableFiling unavailable
Mairs & PowerUnavailableComparison unavailableFiling unavailable
Markel / Markel-GaynerUnavailableComparison unavailableFiling unavailable
Oakmark / Harris AssociatesUnavailableComparison unavailableFiling unavailable
Pershing SquareUnavailableComparison unavailableFiling unavailable
Polen CapitalUnavailableComparison unavailableFiling unavailable
Sequoia / Ruane CunniffUnavailableComparison unavailableFiling unavailable
Southeastern Asset ManagementUnavailableComparison unavailableFiling unavailable
Tweedy, BrowneUnavailableComparison unavailableFiling unavailable
Yacktman Asset ManagementUnavailableComparison unavailableFiling unavailable

Position size uses shares and filed value from each manager’s 13F. Portfolio weight uses the eligible long-share filing denominator. Changes compare only with the immediately preceding calendar quarter.

Source: Filing source unavailable · event Jun 30, 2026 · retrieved Jul 26, 2026

Flagship explainer

What HERON THERAPEUTICS, INC. /DE/ insiders reported

Insider activity is unavailable from the source; no zero-activity claim is shown.

Unavailable: Form 4 activity could not be retrieved for this rendering.

Moat Score history

15 logged readings since Jul 17, 2026 · append-only, never rewritten

Moat Score over timeLast scored reading of each day, on the 0–100 scale38.3 / 100
0406080100WideNarrowShallowNo moatJul 17, 2026Jul 26, 2026

Breaks in the line mark methodology or normalizer upgrades — readings across versions aren’t compared, so a level shift there isn’t a change in the business.

Tier changesSame-methodology and same-normalizer crossings of the Wide / Narrow / Shallow bars

  1. Normalizer upgraded unstamped (version unknown)moat-xbrl-normalizer@1.1.0 — readings across versions aren’t comparedJul 26, 2026
  2. Methodology upgraded moat-index@2.0.0moat-index@3.0.0 — readings across versions aren’t comparedJul 23, 2026
  3. Methodology upgraded moat-index@1.2.0moat-index@2.0.0 — readings across versions aren’t comparedJul 20, 2026

Scores are logged append-only and never overwritten — this record cannot be reconstructed retroactively, which is exactly why it’s worth keeping.

Insider activity

Form 4 reports mix P/S market or private transactions with compensation-plan mechanics. Activity casually described as “insider selling” can include compensation mechanics; awards, tax withholding, and option exercises are shown by their exact filed class here, never collapsed into “Bought” or “Sold.”

These are disclosed filing facts and arithmetic aggregates, not a signal or verdict.

The insider-filing service is temporarily unavailable, so no partial or guessed answer is shown for HRTX.

Healthcare context

#395 of 710 scored Healthcare companies, ranked by Moat Score.

Nearest peers by Moat Score

  1. #393TNGX Tango Therapeutics, Inc.38.5No moat
  2. #394IONS IONIS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.38.4No moat
  3. #396OPCH OPTION CARE HEALTH, INC.38.3No moat
  4. #397IVF INVO Fertility, Inc.38.3No moat

Compare HRTX with its nearest peers →All Healthcare companies on the Index →

Common questions about HRTX

Does HERON THERAPEUTICS, INC. /DE/ have an economic moat?
Based on its FY2025 SEC filings, the Moat Index scores HERON THERAPEUTICS, INC. /DE/ (HRTX) 38.3 out of 100 — below the Shallow-moat bar, so no moat. The five questions behind that score begin at 20% each; if exactly one genuinely lacks data, the other four weights are renormalized and disclosed. revenue and EPS trend 65, pricing power 75, returns on capital 0, balance-sheet safety 28, capital allocation 24.
How has HRTX's Moat Score changed over time?
The record logs 15 readings since Jul 17, 2026; the latest reads 38.3 out of 100 (no moat). No tier changes on record yet. (Methodology or normalizer upgrades on Jul 20, 2026, Jul 23, 2026, Jul 26, 2026 re-based the score; readings across versions aren't compared.) The history is append-only — readings are only ever added, never rewritten.

Scored from primary SEC filings via the public methodology. Educational only — not a recommendation to buy or sell HRTX. See the disclaimer.