Sands Capital Alternatives LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $TARS

Sands Capital Alternatives LLC lowered its position in Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:TARS) by 50.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 85,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 85,000 shares during the quarter. Tarsus Pharmaceuticals makes up approximately 1.3% of Sands Capital Alternatives LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Sands Capital Alternatives LLC’s holdings in Tarsus Pharmaceuticals were worth $6,960,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Deep Track Capital LP increased its holdings in shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals by 71.4% in the third quarter. Deep Track Capital LP now owns 3,000,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $178,290,000 after purchasing an additional 1,250,000 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp increased its holdings in shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals by 11,730.0% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 437,119 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,791,000 after purchasing an additional 433,424 shares during the period. MPM Bioimpact LLC acquired a new position in shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter valued at approximately $13,834,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals by 1,419.3% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 337,016 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,595,000 after purchasing an additional 314,833 shares during the period. Finally, TimesSquare Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at approximately $15,898,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.01% of the company’s stock.

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of TARS stock opened at $61.95 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $63.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $69.93. Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $38.51 and a 1-year high of $85.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.67 billion, a PE ratio of -54.34 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 3.74 and a quick ratio of 3.71.

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:TARS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported ($0.16) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.40) by $0.24. Tarsus Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 14.19% and a negative net margin of 9.02%.The firm had revenue of $162.05 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $149.60 million. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -0.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TARS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on Tarsus Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, April 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $98.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $88.00 target price on shares of Tarsus Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday, May 4th. Lifesci Capital raised Tarsus Pharmaceuticals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Tarsus Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, June 6th. Two research 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 issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Tarsus Pharmaceuticals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $90.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Dianne C. Whitfield sold 4,174 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.00, for a total transaction of $279,658.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 35,028 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,346,876. This represents a 10.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Bobak R. Azamian sold 11,964 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.00, for a total value of $801,588.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 33,421 shares in the company, valued at $2,239,207. This represents a 26.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 66,891 shares of company stock worth $4,572,160. Insiders own 9.64% of the company’s stock.

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.