Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $TARS Holdings Reduced by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lessened its holdings in shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:TARS) by 26.0% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 947,495 shares of the company’s stock after selling 332,699 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Tarsus Pharmaceuticals were worth $59,635,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in Tarsus Pharmaceuticals by 5.8% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 22,143 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,137,000 after acquiring an additional 1,217 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 71,220 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,659,000 after acquiring an additional 1,394 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals by 105.8% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 10,456 shares of the company’s stock valued at $537,000 after acquiring an additional 190,000 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Tarsus Pharmaceuticals by 402.7% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 140,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,696,000 after purchasing an additional 112,637 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Tarsus Pharmaceuticals by 12.3% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 928,501 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,614,000 after purchasing an additional 101,978 shares during the period. 90.01% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on TARS shares. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $88.00 price objective on shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 31st. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, April 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $98.00 target price for the company. Guggenheim cut their price objective 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, July 17th. Two investment 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.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $90.17.

Key Headlines Impacting Tarsus Pharmaceuticals

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

• Positive Sentiment: XDEMVY sales continued to accelerate. Second-quarter net product sales reached $173.9 million, up more than 69% year over year and ahead of analysts’ expectations of approximately $169.7 million. The company projected 2026 XDEMVY net sales of $685 million to $705 million, supporting the investment case for its approved Demodex blepharitis treatment. Tarsus second-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: Tarsus is expanding into a potentially significant retinal-disease market. The company agreed to acquire Alkeus Pharmaceuticals and its Phase 3-stage oral candidate gildeuretinol (ALK-001), which targets Stargardt disease. The transaction gives Tarsus a potential blockbuster opportunity in a disease with no FDA-approved therapy and broadens its pipeline beyond XDEMVY. Alkeus acquisition
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst expectations remain above the current trading level. Recent price targets cited by Quiver Quantitative range from $88 to $105, with a $90 median target, although these targets may not yet fully reflect the Alkeus transaction or updated execution risks.
• Negative Sentiment: The quarterly loss was materially worse than expected. Tarsus reported a loss of $0.43 per share versus consensus estimates for a loss of roughly $0.19 to $0.21, despite revenue exceeding forecasts. The company remains unprofitable, which can increase sensitivity to spending and deal-related costs. Tarsus Q2 earnings report
• Negative Sentiment: The Alkeus deal and financing create near-term execution and dilution concerns. The acquisition has a potential value of up to $800 million, including $450 million in upfront consideration, while Tarsus separately announced a $125 million private placement. Investors may be concerned about capital needs, share dilution and the clinical and regulatory risks of ALK-001. Tarsus Alkeus acquisition announcement Tarsus private placement

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Katherine Goodrich sold 2,954 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.08, for a total transaction of $183,384.32. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 2,233 shares in the company, valued at approximately $138,624.64. This trade represents a 56.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Jeffrey S. Farrow sold 14,396 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.95, for a total transaction of $877,436.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 56,801 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,462,020.95. This represents a 20.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 39,850 shares of company stock worth $2,452,821 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 9.64% of the company’s stock.

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:TARS opened at $64.79 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 3.71 and a current ratio of 3.74. The company has a market cap of $2.79 billion, a PE ratio of -59.44 and a beta of 0.53. Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $47.21 and a 52 week high of $85.25. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $61.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.94.

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:TARS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported ($0.43) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.19) by ($0.24). The firm had revenue of $173.91 million for 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 13.57%. As a group, research analysts expect that Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -1.27 earnings per share for the current year.

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.