Terns Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:TERN) Given “Neutral” Rating at HC Wainwright

Terns Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:TERN)‘s stock had its “neutral” rating restated by HC Wainwright in a research note issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat.com reports.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Terns Pharmaceuticals from $28.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Terns Pharmaceuticals from $35.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Barclays upped their target price on Terns Pharmaceuticals from $36.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. UBS Group upgraded Terns Pharmaceuticals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Leerink Partners started coverage on Terns Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, February 9th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $58.00 target price for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Terns Pharmaceuticals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $58.11.

Terns Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

TERN traded up $2.79 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $52.79. 56,182,630 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,155,289. Terns Pharmaceuticals has a 1 year low of $1.87 and a 1 year high of $52.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.48 billion, a PE ratio of -51.23 and a beta of -0.31. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $40.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $28.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Terns Pharmaceuticals

In related news, CEO Amy L. Burroughs sold 14,583 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.71, for a total transaction of $681,171.93. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 288,976 shares in the company, valued at $13,498,068.96. The trade was a 4.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Emil Kuriakose sold 1,155 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.57, for a total value of $44,548.35. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 50,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,942,578.05. The trade was a 2.24% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 170,409 shares of company stock valued at $6,563,769 in the last three months. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Terns Pharmaceuticals

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Commodore Capital LP purchased a new stake in Terns Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth $42,807,000. Vestal Point Capital LP bought a new position in Terns Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth $181,800,000. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Terns Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth about $175,740,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC purchased a new stake in shares of Terns Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth about $136,496,000. Finally, Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC purchased a new position in shares of Terns Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter valued at about $123,026,000. 98.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Terns Pharmaceuticals

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck agreed to acquire Terns for $53.00 per share in cash (approximately $6.7B equity value), delivering a takeover premium and providing a clear near‑term exit for shareholders. Merck to Acquire Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Business Wire)
• Neutral Sentiment: The deal is driven by Terns’ lead candidate TERN‑701 (an oral allosteric BCR::ABL1 inhibitor in Phase 1/2 for certain CML patients), which complements Merck’s oncology/hematology portfolio but is still early‑stage; regulatory and clinical risk remain. Merck to Acquire Terns (GlobeNewswire)
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s acquisition is framed as a strategic move to bolster oncology as its blockbuster Keytruda faces patent expiry pressures; this provides context for the buyer’s willingness to pay but doesn’t eliminate execution risk. Merck to buy Terns to boost cancer pipeline (CNBC)
• Negative Sentiment: Halper Sadeh LLC has launched an investigation questioning whether Terns’ board secured a fair price for shareholders, introducing potential legal/closing‑delay risk or claims that could pressure deal terms or timeline. Halper Sadeh investigating Terns deal fairness (Business Wire)

Terns Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc is a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing oral small‐molecule therapies for the treatment of chronic liver diseases and other serious conditions. The company’s research and development efforts center on novel mechanisms of action designed to address the underlying causes of progressive liver disorders, including inflammation, fibrosis and metabolic dysregulation. By advancing targeted compounds that can be administered orally, Terns aims to offer patients more convenient and effective treatment options compared to injectable or biologic therapies.

The company’s pipeline features several candidates in various stages of preclinical and clinical evaluation.