Arcutis Biotherapeutics (NASDAQ:ARQT) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Arcutis Biotherapeutics (NASDAQ:ARQT) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report published on Saturday.

ARQT has been the subject of several other reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Arcutis Biotherapeutics from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on Arcutis Biotherapeutics from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Arcutis Biotherapeutics from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Arcutis Biotherapeutics from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Thursday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Arcutis Biotherapeutics presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $35.57.

Arcutis Biotherapeutics Price Performance

Shares of Arcutis Biotherapeutics stock opened at $25.29 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.46, a current ratio of 2.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 120.43 and a beta of 1.49. Arcutis Biotherapeutics has a twelve month low of $13.69 and a twelve month high of $31.77. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $26.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $24.69.

Arcutis Biotherapeutics (NASDAQ:ARQT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.06 by $0.05. Arcutis Biotherapeutics had a net margin of 6.15% and a return on equity of 15.05%. The firm had revenue of $129.86 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $118.85 million. Analysts forecast that Arcutis Biotherapeutics will post 0.33 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Arcutis Biotherapeutics news, Director Howard G. Welgus sold 4,096 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.41, for a total value of $99,983.36. Following the sale, the director owned 38,378 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $936,806.98. This trade represents a 9.64% decrease in their position. The sale 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 Masaru Matsuda sold 1,230 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.12, for a total value of $32,127.60. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 126,171 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,295,586.52. This trade represents a 0.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 16,894 shares of company stock valued at $422,044 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 9.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ARQT. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Arcutis Biotherapeutics by 325.4% in the fourth quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 1,089 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 833 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Arcutis Biotherapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Arcutis Biotherapeutics by 124.0% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,261 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 698 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in Arcutis Biotherapeutics by 209.0% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,545 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 1,045 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC lifted its stake in Arcutis Biotherapeutics by 114.2% in the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 3,012 shares of the company’s stock valued at $87,000 after purchasing an additional 1,606 shares during the last quarter.

Trending Headlines about Arcutis Biotherapeutics

Here are the key news stories impacting Arcutis Biotherapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong second-quarter performance: Arcutis reported adjusted EPS of $0.11, exceeding estimates of $0.06–$0.09 and improving from a $0.13 loss a year earlier. Revenue rose 59% year over year to $129.9 million, beating the $118.9 million consensus estimate. Arcutis Q2 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Raised sales outlook and expanding ZORYVE opportunity: Management increased 2026 net product-sales guidance to $525 million–$540 million. ZORYVE also gained an expanded pediatric plaque-psoriasis approval, while the FDA accepted an application for use in infants with atopic dermatitis. Arcutis Second-Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains favorable: Needham raised its price target from $36 to $40 and reiterated a Buy rating. HC Wainwright’s 2027 estimates project quarterly EPS rising from $0.08 in the first quarter to $0.48 in the fourth quarter, suggesting expectations for continued earnings growth. Benzinga analyst report
• Neutral Sentiment: Commercial leadership changes: Arcutis announced key changes to its commercial leadership team. The move could support execution, but investors may initially view management transitions as an operational uncertainty. Arcutis Announces Key Commercial Leadership Changes
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling was limited and prearranged: Three executives sold a combined 6,560 shares to cover tax withholding on vested equity awards under Rule 10b5-1 plans, reducing the bearish significance of the transactions.

About Arcutis Biotherapeutics

Arcutis Biotherapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies for immuno-inflammatory skin diseases. The company’s research and development efforts center on targeted treatments that address the underlying biology of conditions such as plaque psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis and vitiligo. Arcutis employs a precision-medicine approach to deliver topical therapies designed to improve efficacy and tolerability compared with existing treatment options.

In August 2022, Arcutis received U.S.