HC Wainwright Analysts Lower Earnings Estimates for ARQT

Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARQT) – Analysts at HC Wainwright cut their Q2 2026 earnings estimates for Arcutis Biotherapeutics in a note issued to investors on Thursday, February 26th. HC Wainwright analyst D. Tsao now expects that the company will post earnings of $0.02 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.06. HC Wainwright currently has a “Buy” rating and a $34.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for Arcutis Biotherapeutics’ current full-year earnings is ($1.33) per share. HC Wainwright also issued estimates for Arcutis Biotherapeutics’ Q3 2026 earnings at $0.05 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.19 EPS and FY2030 earnings at $2.20 EPS.

Arcutis Biotherapeutics (NASDAQ:ARQT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.03 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $129.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $110.79 million. Arcutis Biotherapeutics had a negative return on equity of 11.01% and a negative net margin of 4.29%.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on ARQT. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Arcutis Biotherapeutics from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Arcutis Biotherapeutics from $32.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 28th. Zacks Research cut shares of Arcutis Biotherapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered Arcutis Biotherapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price target on Arcutis Biotherapeutics from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Arcutis Biotherapeutics has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.14.

Arcutis Biotherapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of ARQT opened at $26.97 on Friday. Arcutis Biotherapeutics has a 1 year low of $11.86 and a 1 year high of $31.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.35 billion, a PE ratio of -192.63 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 3.28 and a current ratio of 3.50. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $27.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $23.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Howard G. Welgus sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.05, for a total value of $250,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 59,744 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,496,587.20. This represents a 14.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Larry Todd Edwards sold 2,052 shares of Arcutis Biotherapeutics stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.50, for a total transaction of $52,326.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 148,865 shares in the company, valued at $3,796,057.50. The trade was a 1.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 124,656 shares of company stock valued at $3,312,365 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 9.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ARQT. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its stake in shares of Arcutis Biotherapeutics by 0.8% during the third quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 65,196 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,237,000 after buying an additional 490 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in Arcutis Biotherapeutics by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 31,685 shares of the company’s stock worth $597,000 after acquiring an additional 568 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group grew its stake in shares of Arcutis Biotherapeutics by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 57,136 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,604,000 after purchasing an additional 594 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC grew its stake in shares of Arcutis Biotherapeutics by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 12,603 shares of the company’s stock valued at $238,000 after purchasing an additional 682 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Arcutis Biotherapeutics by 124.0% in the fourth 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 period.

Key Stories Impacting Arcutis Biotherapeutics

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

• Positive Sentiment: Solid Q4 results and revenue beat — Arcutis reported a robust Q4 with revenue growth and a GAAP EPS beat, driven by Zoryve adoption; the quarter and raised guidance underpin the bullish view on commercial execution. Arcutis Biotherapeutics surges on earnings beat, raised guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analyst price-target increases — Needham, TD Cowen and Guggenheim raised targets (to the mid-$30s) and maintain buy ratings, signaling analyst confidence in growth and creating upside narrative for the stock. Benzinga coverage of analyst price-target changes
• Positive Sentiment: Bull case coverage highlights pipeline and label-expansion catalysts — Recent analyst and media pieces emphasize Zoryve market leadership, operating leverage and upcoming pediatric/label catalysts that could support longer-term upside. Arcutis Earnings: Zoryve Dominance And Pipeline Catalysts Drive The Bull Case
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor presentation scheduled — Management will present at TD Cowen’s healthcare conference next week, giving investors an opportunity for updated guidance/visibility; this is a near-term catalyst but not an immediate earnings event. Arcutis Management to Present at TD Cowen’s 46th Annual Health Care Conference
• Neutral Sentiment: Broad coverage and transcripts available — Earnings call transcript and multiple recaps give investors transparency into execution and guidance; this helps short- and long-term assessment but is informational. Arcutis (ARQT) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term EPS cuts by HC Wainwright — Despite maintaining a Buy and $34 target, HC Wainwright lowered Q2–Q4 2026 EPS estimates, which can temper short-term sentiment and provide a rationale for profit-taking after the post-earnings rally.
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed/unclear short-interest data — Recent short-interest reports appear inconsistent (zero/NaN entries), creating uncertainty about downside pressure from traders; unclear short-covering dynamics can add volatility.

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.