Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN) Trading 5.3% Higher – Time to Buy?

Septerna, Inc. (NASDAQ:SEPN) shares traded up 5.3% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $36.33 and last traded at $36.6950. Approximately 21,596 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 93% from the average session volume of 313,273 shares. The stock had previously closed at $34.85.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on SEPN. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Septerna from $28.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Septerna from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Guggenheim initiated coverage on shares of Septerna in a report on Thursday, June 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $52.00 target price on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of Septerna in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Septerna in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $45.78.

Septerna Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $1.63 billion, a P/E ratio of -44.51 and a beta of 2.39. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $28.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $27.23.

Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 12th. The company reported ($0.19) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.42) by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $26.52 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.98 million. Septerna had a negative net margin of 49.88% and a negative return on equity of 12.72%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Septerna, Inc. will post -1.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Septerna

In other news, insider Samira Shaikhly sold 6,250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.08, for a total value of $219,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 793 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,818.44. This represents a 88.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Daniel D. Long sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.51, for a total value of $532,650.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 96,412 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,423,590.12. This trade represents a 13.46% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 42,983 shares of company stock worth $1,375,607 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 5.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Septerna

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Janus Henderson Group PLC acquired a new stake in shares of Septerna during the first quarter valued at about $21,334,000. First Light Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Septerna by 18.0% in the 1st quarter. First Light Asset Management LLC now owns 732,860 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,611,000 after buying an additional 112,049 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in Septerna during the 1st quarter worth approximately $906,000. Swiss National Bank bought a new stake in Septerna during the 1st quarter worth approximately $531,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in Septerna by 6.1% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 58,709 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,411,000 after acquiring an additional 3,377 shares during the last quarter.

Septerna Company Profile

We are a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering a new era of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) oral small molecule drug discovery powered by our proprietary Native Complex Platform™. Our industrial-scale platform aims to unlock the full potential of GPCR therapies and has led to the discovery and development of our deep pipeline of product candidates focused initially on treating patients in three therapeutic areas: endocrinology, immunology and inflammation, and metabolic diseases. GPCRs are the largest and most diverse family of cell membrane receptors and regulate physiological processes in nearly every organ system of the human body.