Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:TARS) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst consensus: Nine analysts give Tarsus an average rating of "Moderate Buy" (1 sell, 2 hold, 4 buy, 2 strong buy) with a 12‑month average target of $90.67.
• Q1 beat and guidance: Tarsus topped Q1 estimates (EPS ($0.16) vs. ($0.40), revenue $162.05M vs. $149.6M) driven by strong XDEMVY sales, and reaffirmed full‑year XDEMVY guidance of $670–700M with multi‑year peak sales potential >$2B.
• Insider selling vs. institutional ownership: Insiders sold roughly 79,391 shares last quarter (insider ownership ~8.97%), while hedge funds and institutions now hold about 90.01% of the stock, with large stake increases from Deep Track Capital and Janus Henderson.

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:TARS - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the nine brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $90.6667.

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $68.00 target price on shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, February 5th. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and issued a $88.00 price target on shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, April 21st.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Dianne C. Whitfield sold 4,174 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.00, for a total value of $279,658.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 35,028 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,346,876. This represents a 10.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director William J. Phd Link sold 12,500 shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.79, for a total transaction of $859,875.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 116,332 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,002,478.28. The trade was a 9.70% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 79,391 shares of company stock worth $5,432,035 in the last quarter. 8.97% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Tarsus Pharmaceuticals

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Deep Track Capital LP lifted its position in shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals by 71.4% during the 3rd quarter. Deep Track Capital LP now owns 3,000,000 shares of the company's stock worth $178,290,000 after purchasing an additional 1,250,000 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in Tarsus Pharmaceuticals by 34.1% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,930,325 shares of the company's stock worth $158,062,000 after buying an additional 491,326 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp increased its holdings in shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals by 11,730.0% in the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 437,119 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,791,000 after acquiring an additional 433,424 shares during the period. MPM Bioimpact LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter valued at about $13,834,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Tarsus Pharmaceuticals by 1,419.3% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 337,016 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,595,000 after acquiring an additional 314,833 shares during the last quarter. 90.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of TARS stock opened at $63.96 on Friday. Tarsus Pharmaceuticals has a fifty-two week low of $38.51 and a fifty-two week high of $85.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 3.82 and a current ratio of 3.85. The stock's fifty day moving average is $68.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $71.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.75 billion, a P/E ratio of -56.11 and a beta of 0.52.

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:TARS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported ($0.16) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.40) by $0.24. The business had revenue of $162.05 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $149.60 million. Tarsus Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 9.02% and a negative return on equity of 14.32%. Research analysts expect that Tarsus Pharmaceuticals will post -0.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Trending Headlines about Tarsus Pharmaceuticals

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat on both EPS and revenue; company reported ($0.16) EPS vs. consensus ($0.40) and revenue of $162.05M vs. ~$149.6M expectation — driven by XDEMVY net product sales > $145M (up >85% YoY). Management reaffirmed full‑year XDEMVY guidance of $670–700M and reiterated multi‑year peak sales potential >$2B, supporting the commercial story. Tarsus Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial Results and Recent Business Achievements
• Positive Sentiment: Commercial traction: management said nearly half of core eye care professionals prescribe XDEMVY weekly and DTC and evidence programs are driving deeper utilization — supports revenue durability and upside to analyst sales models. Tarsus Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial Results and Recent Business Achievements
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline expansion: Tarsus initiated the Calliope Phase 2 trial of TP‑05 (oral Lyme disease prevention), adding a non‑ophthalmic growth optionality with topline expected in H1 2027. This is longer‑dated upside for investors. Tarsus Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial Results and Recent Business Achievements
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor materials and access: company posted the earnings presentation and hosted the conference call; management will also attend investor conferences — increases transparency and provides opportunities for guidance color. Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 2026 Q1 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation Tarsus to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript and summaries are available for detail on margin drivers and marketing spend — useful for modeling near‑term profitability and cash flow. Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (TARS) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Q1 2026 Earnings Call Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst estimate revisions are mixed: HC Wainwright updated several quarterly estimates (some higher for later quarters but trimmed FY2026 slightly) and keeps a Buy/$88 target — still bullish but shows modeling uncertainty. Lifesci Capital lowered its Q4 2026 EPS estimate (from $0.09 to $0.05) despite maintaining a Strong‑Buy — signals divergent near‑term EPS views that may pressure shares. (Sources: analyst notes summarized by market outlets.)

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.

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