D.A. Davidson & CO. Takes $1.49 Million Position in Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $TARS

Key Points

• D.A. Davidson & Co. initiated a new position in Tarsus, purchasing 18,233 shares (~$1.49 million) in Q4, and institutional investors now own about 90.01% of the stock.
• Company insiders sold a total of 79,391 shares (~$5.43 million) over the last quarter, including transactions by Dianne C. Whitfield and General Counsel Bryan Wahl, reducing their ownership stakes.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but tilts positive: the consensus rating is a Moderate Buy with an average target of $90.67, highlighted by Oppenheimer's "Outperform" ($98) and Guggenheim's $90 target.

D.A. Davidson & CO. purchased a new stake in Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:TARS - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 18,233 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,493,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in TARS. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its position in shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals by 779.1% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 2,778 shares of the company's stock valued at $113,000 after purchasing an additional 2,462 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals by 220.3% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,045 shares of the company's stock valued at $164,000 after purchasing an additional 2,782 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals by 26.4% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,063 shares of the company's stock valued at $169,000 after purchasing an additional 431 shares in the last quarter. West Wealth Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at $202,000. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at $209,000. 90.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Tarsus Pharmaceuticals

In other news, insider Dianne C. Whitfield sold 4,174 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.00, for a total value of $279,658.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 35,028 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,346,876. This represents a 10.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, General Counsel Bryan Wahl sold 4,231 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.00, for a total value of $283,477.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 63,959 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,285,253. The trade was a 6.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 79,391 shares of company stock valued at $5,432,035 over the last quarter. 8.97% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $63.62 on Friday. Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.51 and a 52 week high of $85.25. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $69.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $72.06. The company has a quick ratio of 3.82, a current ratio of 3.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock has a market cap of $2.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -39.27 and a beta of 0.53.

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:TARS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported ($0.20) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.19) by ($0.01). Tarsus Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 19.63% and a negative net margin of 14.72%.The business had revenue of $151.67 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $144.56 million. On average, research analysts forecast that Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -0.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TARS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on Tarsus Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, April 24th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $98.00 price target for the company. Zacks Research cut Tarsus Pharmaceuticals from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen cut Tarsus Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 18th. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their target price on Tarsus Pharmaceuticals from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $90.67.

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals 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.

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