Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

NasdaqGS:TERN Stock Report

Market Cap: US$6.1b

This company has been acquired

The company may no longer be operating, as it has been acquired. Find out why through their latest events.

Terns Pharmaceuticals Management

Management criteria checks 3/4

Terns Pharmaceuticals' CEO is Amy Burroughs, appointed in Feb 2024, has a tenure of 2.25 years. total yearly compensation is $4.59M, comprised of 14.1% salary and 85.9% bonuses, including company stock and options. directly owns 0.13% of the company’s shares, worth $7.80M. The average tenure of the management team and the board of directors is 1.3 years and 3.8 years respectively.

Key information

Amy Burroughs

Chief executive officer

US$4.6m

Total compensation

CEO salary percentage14.05%
CEO tenure2.3yrs
CEO ownership0.1%
Management average tenure1.3yrs
Board average tenure3.8yrs

Recent management updates

Recent updates

Seeking Alpha • Mar 25

Merck's Deal For Terns And Its Stellar CML Drug Candidate Looks Like Good Business

Summary Merck & Co., Inc. acquires Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for $53/share, valuing the deal at ~$6.7bn, to secure TERN-701's blockbuster CML potential. TERN-701's Phase 1 data show a 75% MMR rate at 24 weeks, significantly outperforming current standard-of-care therapies like Novartis' Scemblix. MRK seeks to offset looming Keytruda patent expiry by adding high-potential oncology assets, with TERN-701 positioned as a future growth driver. While the acquisition introduces execution and regulatory risks, MRK's diversified pipeline and strategic M&A activity support a long-term bullish outlook. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha
Analysis Article • Sep 19

Terns Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:TERN) Is In A Good Position To Deliver On Growth Plans

There's no doubt that money can be made by owning shares of unprofitable businesses. For example, although Amazon.com...
Seeking Alpha • Feb 08

Terns Pharma: I Don't See The Positioning

Summary Terns Pharmaceuticals' lead molecules, TERN-701 and TERN-601, face stiff competition from established and more effective treatments in CML and obesity markets. TERN-701's advantage of food-independent dosing may not be sufficient to challenge entrenched CML treatments like Asciminib. TERN-601 showed modest weight loss results but falls short compared to competitors like semaglutide and Amgen's MariTide. With a market cap of $383mn and trading at cash, Terns' strategy of developing copycat molecules appears unpromising; I recommend avoiding this stock. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha
Seeking Alpha • Oct 21

Terns Pharmaceuticals: Another Potential GLP-1 Entrant

Summary Terns Pharmaceuticals' stock has risen somewhat due to some optimism around its early-stage clinical programs, particularly TERN-601 for obesity and TERN-701 for CML. TERN-601 showed promising Phase 1 results, leading to a capital raise extending the cash runway to 2028, with Phase 2 trials expected in 2025. TERN-701, targeting CML, has interim Phase 1 data expected in December 2024, with potential to address unmet needs in the $5 billion CML market. An updated analysis around Terns Pharmaceuticals follows in the paragraphs below. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha
Seeking Alpha • Sep 25

Terns Pharmaceuticals: Obesity Advancement Continues With Other Q1 2025 Program Catalyst

Summary Terns Pharmaceuticals is developing TERN-601, an oral GLP-1R agonist, which showed a placebo-adjusted weight loss of 4.9% in a phase 1 trial for obesity treatment. The company plans to initiate a phase 2 study for TERN-601 in 2025, creating a significant catalyst opportunity for investors. The company is also developing TERN-701 for chronic myeloid leukemia, with interim phase 1 data expected in December 2024, offering another investment opportunity. The global anti-obesity drugs market is expected to reach $100 billion by 2030. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha
Seeking Alpha • Sep 10

Terns Pharmaceuticals: Weight Loss Drug TERN-601 Is Competitive

Summary Terns Pharmaceuticals' TERN-601 shows impressive weight loss results in a phase 1 study, positioning TERN competitively in the obesity drug market. The commercial viability of TERN-601's manufacturing scalability could be an advantage over certain competitors like Novo Nordisk's Rybelsus. TERN has sufficient funds to support operations into 2026, and a recent $125M public offering could allow it to go further. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha
Seeking Alpha • Sep 20

Terns Pharmaceuticals: The Easy Money Has Been Made

Summary Shares of biotech concern Terns Pharmaceuticals are up some 150% after consummating a secondary offering at $2.42 a share, announced on August 12, 2022. Despite the bump, shares of Terns Pharmaceuticals are still down significantly from their IPO pricing back in January 2021, as the once solely NASH-focused company is making a foray into leukemia. With NASH, obesity, and oncology assets but few near-terms catalysts, the significant beneficial owner buying of Terns Pharmaceuticals on the secondary merited a deeper dive. A full investment analysis follows in the paragraphs below. Don’t fear what other people can do. Fear most what you could have done, but didn’t.” ― Craig D. Lounsbrough Today, we take our first look at a small developmental concern. The company has had a significant change of focus, recently did a capital raise, and has several "shots on goal." An analysis follows below. Seeking Alpha Company Overview: Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (TERN) is a Foster City, California-based early clinical-stage biopharmaceutical concern focused on the development of small-molecule therapeutics for indications with high unmet needs. The company currently has four candidates in the clinic undergoing evaluation in the treatment of two diseases, and a fifth asset that should enter the clinic in 2023. Terns was formed in 2016 and backed by Eli Lilly (LLY), which out-licensed its non-alcoholic steatohepatitis [NASH] portfolio to the then-startup, along with a Series A investment of $30 million in 2018. The company went public in February 2021, raising net proceeds of $132.9 million at $17 per share. This somewhat thinly traded stock is currently selling at just over six bucks a sharer, translating to a market cap of just under $350 million, after giving effect to 14.63 million pre-funded warrants. Pipeline: After releasing disappointing data from a Phase 1 NASH trial in March 2022, Terns is now leading with a cancer therapy in its corporate presentations and SEC filings. August Company Presentation TERN-701. The newly emphasized asset is TERN-701, an oral allosteric inhibitor of tyrosine kinase oncoprotein BCR-ABL1 (a.k.a. the Philadelphia chromosome) that is being evaluated in a Phase 1 trial for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia [CML]. Originating in the bone marrow, CML is responsible for ~15%, or ~9,000 of the newly diagnosed cases of leukemia in American adults annually. Current therapies include tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) such as Gleevec (imatinib), Tasigna (nilotinib), and recently approved (October 2021) Scemblix (asciminib) from Novartis (NVS); Sprycel (dasatinib) from Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY); and Pfizer’s (PFE) Bosulif (bosutinib), along with chemotherapy. However, due to an increasing number of patients failing on TKIs, there is an unmet need in the CML indication. August Company Presentation The primary reason patients are becoming more refractory to TKIs is active-site mutations that overcome or evade treatment. Furthermore, TKIs are hampered by off-target toxicity. The only approved allosteric TKI (Scemblix) has demonstrated some ability to improve on the shortcomings of first and second generation TKIs because it binds to the myristoyl-binding pocket, inhibiting the BCR-ABL1 gene and most mutations, which are responsible for the proliferation of leukemia cells. As a result, Scemblix has blockbuster potential in its currently approved third line setting with multi-blockbuster potential if Novartis obtains approval for it as a front-line therapy. However, due to certain factors, including twice-daily dosing, a three-hour fasting requirement, some potentially harmful drug interactions, and off-target toxicity, adherence on Scemblix is likely to be challenging. Terns believes that its allosteric candidate TERN-701 can overcome these limitations by better pharmacokinetics, allowing for once-daily dosing with minimal fasting requirements. August Company Presentation That said, TERN-701 has been out-licensed to Hansoh Pharmaceuticals (OTCPK:HNSPF) for development in China with domestic advancement plans still on the drawing board – most likely via a development partner. Hansoh initiated a two-part Phase 1 study in 2Q22, with the initial dose escalation phase to be followed by cytogenetic response evaluation at six months in part two. No timeline for data has been forwarded. August Company Presentation TERN-601. Terns now lists TERN-601 second in its investor-targeted material. It is an oral glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonist for the treatment of obesity, a malady that afflicts one-half of Americans, although only 2% seek treatment. The company believes GLP-1R agonism can increase insulin secretion by the pancreas, reduce glucagon secretion in the liver, slow gastric emptying, increase satiation, and reduce inflammation – all of which should lead to weight loss. Synthetic GLP-1 peptide semaglutide, marketed as Wegovy, Ozempic, and Rybelsus by Novo Nordisk (NVO), is approved for weight management and type-2 diabetes. However, Wegovy and Ozempic are once-weekly injectables and oral Rybelsus is only approved for lowering A1C (blood sugar) levels in type-2 diabetes patients, like Ozempic. Furthermore, semaglutide is a biologic, which is less stable and harder to administer than small-molecule therapeutics. An oral version for weight loss may require significantly higher doses for weight loss versus A1C reduction. Terns aims to improve on Wegovy with its oral, small-molecule alternative. TERN-601 is expected to enter the clinic in 2023. TERN-101. When Terns went public, its lead program was TERN-101, a liver-distributed, non-bile acid Farnesoid X receptor [FXR] agonist that was being studied in the treatment of NASH. However, data released in June 2021 from a Phase 2a study ((LIFT)) showed that it was well-tolerated, but it decreased high-density lipoproteins (good cholesterol), increased low-density lipoproteins (bad cholesterol), and only demonstrated statistically significant improvements in two of eight NASH biomarkers. TERN-501. As such, TERN-101 has advanced sideways into a NASH Phase 2a study [DUET] with TERN-501, an orally administered THR-β agonist. THR-β is a thyroid hormone receptor found in the liver and is responsible for fatty acid synthesis and liver fat removal through fatty acid oxidation. THR-β agonism has been clinically shown to reduce liver fat and atherogenic (fatty plaque promoting) lipids; however, this approach is plagued by unintended activation of THR-α, which can result in cardiotoxicity, muscle wasting, and reduced bone mineral density. TERN-501 is 23 times more selective for THR-β than THR-α; thus minimizing those risks. DUET will enroll 140 patients across seven arms: three TERN-501 monotherapy doses; one TERN-101 monotherapy dose; two combination doses; and one placebo. Primary endpoint is relative change from baseline in liver fat content as measured by MRI-PDFF (magnetic resonance imaging – proton density fat fraction) at week 12 for TERN-501 monotherapy versus placebo. The first patient was dosed in July 2022 with top-line data anticipated in 2H23. August Company Presentation
Seeking Alpha • Aug 08

Terns Pharmaceuticals GAAP EPS of -$0.55 beats by $0.08

Terns Pharmaceuticals press release (NASDAQ:TERN): Q2 GAAP EPS of -$0.55 beats by $0.08.  As of June 30, 2022, cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were $139.8 million as compared with $166.0 million as of December 31, 2021.

CEO Compensation Analysis

How has Amy Burroughs's remuneration changed compared to Terns Pharmaceuticals's earnings?
DateTotal CompensationSalaryCompany Earnings
Dec 31 2025US$5mUS$645k

-US$96m

Sep 30 2025n/an/a

-US$94m

Jun 30 2025n/an/a

-US$92m

Mar 31 2025n/an/a

-US$90m

Dec 31 2024US$8mUS$564k

-US$89m

Compensation vs Market: Amy's total compensation ($USD4.59M) is below average for companies of similar size in the US market ($USD8.41M).

Compensation vs Earnings: Amy's compensation has been consistent with company performance over the past year.

CEO

Amy Burroughs (54 yo)

2.3yrs
Tenure
US$4,589,929
Compensation

Ms. Amy L. Burroughs, M.B.A., serves as CEO & Director at Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from February 07, 2024. She serves as Independent Director of Tenaya Therapeutics, Inc. since December 2022. She had be...

Leadership Team

NamePositionTenureCompensationOwnership
Amy Burroughs
CEO & Director2.3yrsUS$4.59m0.13%
$ 7.8m
Andrew Gengos
CFO & Treasurer1.3yrsUS$2.61m0.029%
$ 1.7m
Emil Kuriakose
Chief Medical Officer3yrsUS$2.36m0.021%
$ 1.3m
Scott Harris
Chief Development & Operations Officerless than a yearno datano data
Caryn McDowell
Chief Legal Officerless than a yearno datano data
Theresa Clouser
Vice President of Marketingless than a yearno datano data
Robin Andrulevich
Chief People Officer1.3yrsno datano data
Jeffrey Jasper
SVP & Senior Distinguished Research Fellow4.3yrsno datano data
Melita Jung
Chief Business Officer2.1yrsUS$2.20m0.0019%
$ 119.2k
Debra Sieminski
Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs2.3yrsno datano data
James Kanter
Senior Vice President of CMC1.3yrsno datano data
Yasameen Qazen
Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs & Quality Assurance1.1yrsno datano data
1.3yrs
Average Tenure
54.5yo
Average Age

Experienced Management: TERN's management team is not considered experienced ( 1.3 years average tenure), which suggests a new team.

Board Members

NamePositionTenureCompensationOwnership
Amy Burroughs
CEO & Director2.3yrsUS$4.59m0.13%
$ 7.8m
Jeffrey Kindler
Independent Director5.4yrsUS$168.17k0%
$ 0
Heather Turner
Independent Director1.5yrsUS$172.33kno data
David Fellows
Independent Chairman5.4yrsUS$195.73k0%
$ 0
Robert Azelby
Independent Director1.3yrsUS$291.50kno data
Radhika Tripuraneni
Independent Director3.8yrsUS$175.67k0%
$ 0
Jill Quigley
Independent Director5.4yrsUS$176.27k0%
$ 0
3.8yrs
Average Tenure
54yo
Average Age

Experienced Board: TERN's board of directors are considered experienced (3.8 years average tenure).

Company Analysis and Financial Data Status

DataLast Updated (UTC time)
Company Analysis2026/05/08 10:00
End of Day Share Price 2026/05/04 00:00
Earnings2025/12/31
Annual Earnings2025/12/31

Data Sources

The data used in our company analysis is from S&P Global Market Intelligence LLC. The following data is used in our analysis model to generate this report. Data is normalised which can introduce a delay from the source being available.

PackageDataTimeframeExample US Source *
Company Financials10 years
  • Income statement
  • Cash flow statement
  • Balance sheet
Analyst Consensus Estimates+3 years
  • Forecast financials
  • Analyst price targets
Market Prices30 years
  • Stock prices
  • Dividends, Splits and Actions
Ownership10 years
  • Top shareholders
  • Insider trading
Management10 years
  • Leadership team
  • Board of directors
Key Developments10 years
  • Company announcements

* Example for US securities, for non-US equivalent regulatory forms and sources are used.

Unless specified all financial data is based on a yearly period but updated quarterly. This is known as Trailing Twelve Month (TTM) or Last Twelve Month (LTM) Data. Learn more.

Analysis Model and Snowflake

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Industry and Sector Metrics

Our industry and section metrics are calculated every 6 hours by Simply Wall St, details of our process are available on Github.

Analyst Sources

Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is covered by 19 analysts. 6 of those analysts submitted the estimates of revenue or earnings used as inputs to our report. Analysts submissions are updated throughout the day.

AnalystInstitution
Etzer DaroutBarclays
Etzer DaroutBMO Capital Markets Equity Research
Evan SeigermanBMO Capital Markets Equity Research