Tarsus Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:TARS) Reaches New 12-Month High After Analyst Upgrade

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:TARS)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday after Jefferies Financial Group upgraded the stock to a strong-buy rating. The stock traded as high as $85.75 and last traded at $85.6450, with a volume of 298739 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $83.21.

TARS has been the subject of several other reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, July 17th. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $88.00 target price on shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Guggenheim dropped their price target on Tarsus Pharmaceuticals from $90.00 to $89.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Tarsus Pharmaceuticals from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Three 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $90.50.

Insider Transactions at Tarsus Pharmaceuticals

In other Tarsus Pharmaceuticals news, CEO Bobak R. Azamian sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 17th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $52,193,846.05. This trade represents a 1.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Elizabeth Lin sold 1,590 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value of $127,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 4,770 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $381,600. This trade represents a 25.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 in the last quarter. Insiders own 9.64% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Tarsus Pharmaceuticals

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.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals by 139.2% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 500 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals by 367.1% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 710 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 558 shares during the period. Comerica Bank lifted its stake in shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals by 470.0% during the fourth quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 855 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 705 shares during the period. Truvestments Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals by 106.1% during the fourth quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 909 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 468 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new position in Tarsus Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter valued at $103,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.01% of the company’s stock.

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 9.1%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 3.17 and a current ratio of 3.20. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $66.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $65.93. The firm has a market cap of $3.98 billion, a PE ratio of -83.28 and a beta of 0.54.

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:TARS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported ($0.43) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.19) by ($0.24). The company had revenue of $173.91 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $169.65 million. Tarsus Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 7.67% and a negative return on equity of 13.53%. Research analysts expect that Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -2.06 EPS for the current year.

About Tarsus Pharmaceuticals

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.