Short Interest in Protara Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:TARA) Expands By 48.0%

Protara Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:TARA) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 4,895,488 shares, a growth of 48.0% from the February 12th total of 3,308,046 shares. Currently, 10.8% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,590,962 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.1 days. Based on an average daily volume of 1,590,962 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.1 days. Currently, 10.8% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Trending Headlines about Protara Therapeutics

Here are the key news stories impacting Protara Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Lifesci Capital raised its 2026 outlook across the board — boosting Q1 to ($0.34) from ($0.38), Q2 to ($0.37) from ($0.41), Q3 to ($0.39) from ($0.44), Q4 to ($0.41) from ($0.46) and lifting FY2026 to ($1.49) from ($1.73). These upgrades point to modestly improved expectations for near‑term results. MarketBeat TARA
• Neutral Sentiment: HC Wainwright retained a “Buy” rating and a $23.00 price target on TARA, which supports longer‑term upside potential if Protara meets clinical/corporate milestones. That endorsement may limit downside even as estimates were trimmed. MarketBeat TARA
• Negative Sentiment: HC Wainwright cut multiple 2026 quarterly and later‑year EPS forecasts (examples: Q1 to ($0.39) from ($0.33), Q2 to ($0.40) from ($0.34), Q3 to ($0.41) from ($0.35), Q4 to ($0.42) and FY2026 to ($1.61) from ($1.37); FY2027–FY2029 and FY2028 estimates were also reduced). Those downgrades signal increased expected cash burn or slower commercialization/progression assumptions and likely pressured the stock today. MarketBeat TARA

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Protara Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of TARA. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in shares of Protara Therapeutics by 21.5% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 5,141,616 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,379,000 after purchasing an additional 910,285 shares during the last quarter. Velan Capital Investment Management LP raised its stake in Protara Therapeutics by 32.5% in the fourth quarter. Velan Capital Investment Management LP now owns 2,834,652 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,109,000 after buying an additional 695,652 shares in the last quarter. Integral Health Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Protara Therapeutics by 60.7% during the 4th quarter. Integral Health Asset Management LLC now owns 2,250,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,992,000 after buying an additional 850,000 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Protara Therapeutics by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,904,156 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,283,000 after buying an additional 102,176 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acorn Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Protara Therapeutics by 36.9% during the 2nd quarter. Acorn Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,752,115 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,309,000 after acquiring an additional 472,315 shares in the last quarter. 38.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TARA has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Protara Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $27.00 price objective for the company. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on shares of Protara Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $24.00 target price on the stock. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $23.00 price target on shares of Protara Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Protara Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Protara Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Protara Therapeutics currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $21.40.

Protara Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of TARA opened at $5.26 on Friday. Protara Therapeutics has a 1 year low of $2.77 and a 1 year high of $7.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $271.58 million, a PE ratio of -3.98 and a beta of 1.40. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $6.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $5.38.

Protara Therapeutics (NASDAQ:TARA) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The company reported ($0.37) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.34) by ($0.03). Analysts predict that Protara Therapeutics will post -3.32 EPS for the current year.

About Protara Therapeutics

Protara Therapeutics, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel immunotherapies for virus-driven cancers. The company’s primary areas of research include human papillomavirus (HPV)–associated malignancies, where it seeks to harness and enhance the body’s immune response to target tumor cells. Protara’s therapeutic strategy combines antigen-specific vaccination approaches with modulators of T-cell activation to improve clinical outcomes in patients with HPV-mediated disease.

Protara’s lead immunotherapy candidate is PTX-35, an investigational monoclonal antibody designed to agonize OX40, a co-stimulatory receptor on T cells.