HC Wainwright Issues Negative Outlook for TARA Earnings

Protara Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:TARA) – Equities research analysts at HC Wainwright reduced their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Protara Therapeutics in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, March 11th. HC Wainwright analyst A. Maldonado now anticipates that the company will earn ($0.39) per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of ($0.33). HC Wainwright currently has a “Buy” rating and a $23.00 target price on the stock. The consensus estimate for Protara Therapeutics’ current full-year earnings is ($3.32) per share. HC Wainwright also issued estimates for Protara Therapeutics’ Q2 2026 earnings at ($0.40) EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at ($0.41) EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at ($0.42) EPS, FY2026 earnings at ($1.61) EPS, FY2027 earnings at ($1.94) EPS, FY2028 earnings at ($1.14) EPS and FY2029 earnings at ($0.44) EPS.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on TARA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Protara Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $27.00 price objective on the stock. Piper Sandler started coverage on Protara Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $24.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Protara Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Protara Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Protara Therapeutics has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.40.

Protara Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ TARA opened at $5.26 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $6.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $5.37. The stock has a market cap of $271.57 million, a P/E ratio of -3.98 and a beta of 1.40. Protara Therapeutics has a 52-week low of $2.77 and a 52-week high of $7.82.

Protara Therapeutics (NASDAQ:TARA) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The company reported ($0.37) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.34) by ($0.03).

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Protara Therapeutics

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TARA. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 910,285 shares in the last quarter. Velan Capital Investment Management LP increased its stake in shares of Protara Therapeutics by 32.5% in the 4th quarter. Velan Capital Investment Management LP now owns 2,834,652 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,109,000 after acquiring an additional 695,652 shares in the last quarter. Integral Health Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Protara Therapeutics by 60.7% in the 4th quarter. Integral Health Asset Management LLC now owns 2,250,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,992,000 after acquiring an additional 850,000 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Protara Therapeutics by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,904,156 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,283,000 after acquiring an additional 102,176 shares during the period. Finally, Acorn Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Protara Therapeutics by 36.9% during the second 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 owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Protara Therapeutics News

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

Protara Therapeutics Company Profile

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.