Tarsus Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:TARS) Upgraded by Jefferies Financial Group to “Strong-Buy” Rating

Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:TARS) to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning,Zacks reports.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on TARS. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and issued a $88.00 price objective on shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Guggenheim decreased their price objective on Tarsus Pharmaceuticals from $90.00 to $89.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Tarsus Pharmaceuticals from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Tarsus Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, July 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Tarsus Pharmaceuticals currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $90.50.

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $90.78 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $66.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $65.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -83.28 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 3.17, a current ratio of 3.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. Tarsus Pharmaceuticals has a 12-month low of $48.20 and a 12-month high of $91.53.

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:TARS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported ($0.43) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.19) by ($0.24). The company had revenue of $173.91 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $169.65 million. Tarsus Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 13.53% and a negative net margin of 7.67%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Tarsus Pharmaceuticals will post -2.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Tarsus Pharmaceuticals

In related news, CEO Bobak Azamian sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.55, for a total transaction of $615,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 847,991 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,193,846.05. The trade was a 1.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Elizabeth Lin sold 5,387 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $430,960.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 13,320 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,065,600. This represents a 28.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 51,428 shares of company stock worth $3,350,810 over the last ninety days. 9.64% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in Tarsus Pharmaceuticals by 5,971.9% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 2,288,813 shares of the company’s stock worth $144,058,000 after buying an additional 2,251,118 shares during the period. Pale Fire Capital SE lifted its holdings in Tarsus Pharmaceuticals by 73.4% during the second quarter. Pale Fire Capital SE now owns 9,802 shares of the company’s stock worth $617,000 after acquiring an additional 4,150 shares in the last quarter. Nykredit A S acquired a new position in Tarsus Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter valued at about $106,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its stake in Tarsus Pharmaceuticals by 295.0% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 38,090 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,429,000 after acquiring an additional 28,447 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Tarsus Pharmaceuticals by 149.9% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 40,202 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,530,000 after acquiring an additional 24,117 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.01% of the company’s stock.

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Tarsus Pharmaceuticals this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Tarsus completed its acquisition of Alkeus, obtaining worldwide rights to gildeuretinol (ALK-001), an investigational once-daily oral treatment for Stargardt disease. The rare inherited eye disease has no FDA-approved therapy and may affect up to 86,000 people in the United States. Tarsus completes Alkeus acquisition
• Positive Sentiment: ALK-001 is being evaluated in the global NORTHSTAR Phase 3 trial and has received FDA Breakthrough Therapy, Orphan Drug, Fast Track and Rare Pediatric Disease designations. The regulatory designations and potential to address a significant unmet need strengthen Tarsus’ pipeline, although topline trial data are not expected until 2029. Alkeus acquisition adds Phase 3 program
• Positive Sentiment: Newly published TEASE-1 results showed that daily gildeuretinol significantly reduced the growth rate of retinal atrophic lesions versus an untreated group and was well tolerated, with no reported delays in dark adaptation or night blindness. TEASE-1 study results
• Neutral Sentiment: The acquisition expands Tarsus beyond its commercial XDEMVY business and supports management’s strategy of building a broader eye-care company. However, the transaction’s financial terms and the ultimate commercial value of ALK-001 were not detailed in the reports.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider Elizabeth Lin reported multiple sales totaling approximately $898,000 across September 1–2 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. While such planned transactions may not reflect current management views, the sales add a modest cautionary signal for investors.

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc is a clinical?stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel therapies for diseases of the eye and ocular surface. The company’s research platform centers on neuro?effector modulation to address underlying disease mechanisms rather than solely treating symptoms. Tarsus’s lead candidate, OC-01 (varenicline solution), is an intranasal formulation in Phase 3 development for the treatment of dry eye disease, a condition affecting millions worldwide and associated with significant patient discomfort and reduced quality of life.

In addition to its dry eye program, Tarsus is advancing preclinical and early?stage programs targeting other ophthalmic indications, including allergic conjunctivitis and retinal disorders.