Howard Welgus Sells 7,144 Shares of Arcutis Biotherapeutics (NASDAQ:ARQT) Stock

Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARQT) Director Howard Welgus sold 7,144 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.99, for a total transaction of $164,240.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 32,600 shares in the company, valued at $749,474. This trade represents a 17.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Arcutis Biotherapeutics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ARQT opened at $24.17 on Thursday. Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Inc. has a 12 month low of $12.42 and a 12 month high of $31.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.02 billion, a P/E ratio of -172.63 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 3.17 and a quick ratio of 2.99. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $23.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $25.78.

Arcutis Biotherapeutics (NASDAQ:ARQT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported ($0.09) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $105.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $103.68 million. Arcutis Biotherapeutics had a negative net margin of 4.29% and a negative return on equity of 10.26%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Inc. will post 0.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on ARQT shares. Mizuho dropped their price target on Arcutis Biotherapeutics from $37.00 to $35.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on Arcutis Biotherapeutics from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Arcutis Biotherapeutics from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. HC Wainwright lifted their target price on shares of Arcutis Biotherapeutics from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Arcutis Biotherapeutics in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $34.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Arcutis Biotherapeutics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ARQT. Suvretta Capital Management LLC raised its position in Arcutis Biotherapeutics by 14.2% during the 4th quarter. Suvretta Capital Management LLC now owns 11,964,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $347,435,000 after buying an additional 1,486,000 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Arcutis Biotherapeutics by 10.3% in the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 12,254,119 shares of the company’s stock valued at $230,990,000 after acquiring an additional 1,144,714 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in shares of Arcutis Biotherapeutics by 1,228.4% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,166,348 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,872,000 after acquiring an additional 1,078,546 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new position in shares of Arcutis Biotherapeutics during the fourth quarter worth about $26,136,000. Finally, State Street Corp raised its holdings in Arcutis Biotherapeutics by 18.2% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,488,301 shares of the company’s stock worth $159,380,000 after purchasing an additional 846,986 shares in the last quarter.

Key Headlines Impacting Arcutis Biotherapeutics

Here are the key news stories impacting Arcutis Biotherapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 product momentum — ZORYVE net product revenue was $105.4M, up ~65% year?over?year and above consensus revenue; company said it maintained positive operating cash flow and highlighted continued branded non?steroidal share gains. Arcutis Announces First Quarter 2026 Financial Results and Provides Business Update
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory and pipeline progress — submitted an sNDA to expand ZORYVE for infants (3–24 months), completed enrollment in the ZORYVE foam pediatric MUSE trial, and started first?in?human studies of ARQ?234. These catalysts support longer?term growth expectations. Arcutis Announces First Quarter 2026 Financial Results and Provides Business Update
• Positive Sentiment: Commercial build — expanded the dermatology sales force and is building a primary care/pediatrics organization, which could broaden ZORYVE adoption. Arcutis Announces First Quarter 2026 Financial Results and Provides Business Update
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst stance — broker consensus remains a “Moderate Buy,” supporting investor sentiment around upside to the current share price. Arcutis Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy”
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider sales disclosed — several executives and a director sold shares recently (executed under pre?arranged Rule 10b5?1 plans and largely to cover taxes on vested awards), which is typical after vesting and less likely to signal negative insider sentiment. Representative SEC filing: Todd Watanabe Form 4

About Arcutis Biotherapeutics

Arcutis Biotherapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for immuno-inflammatory skin diseases. The company’s research and development efforts center on targeted treatments that address the underlying biology of conditions such as plaque psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis and vitiligo. Arcutis employs a precision-medicine approach to deliver topical therapies designed to improve efficacy and tolerability compared with existing treatment options.

In August 2022, Arcutis received U.S.