Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN) Sets New 1-Year High – Here’s What Happened

Septerna, Inc. (NASDAQ:SEPN) shares hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $37.50 and last traded at $36.57, with a volume of 301521 shares. The stock had previously closed at $34.85.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports 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 report on Tuesday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Septerna from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Wall Street Zen cut Septerna from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on Septerna in a research note on Friday, May 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $43.00 target price on the stock. Finally, HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $40.00 target price on shares of Septerna in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Septerna currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $45.78.

Septerna Price Performance

The business’s 50 day moving average price is $28.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $27.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -45.15 and a beta of 2.39.

Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 12th. The company reported ($0.19) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, analysts expect that Septerna, Inc. will post -1.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Samira Shaikhly sold 11,798 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.06, for a total transaction of $354,647.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 793 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,837.58. This represents a 93.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Elizabeth Bhatt sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.34, for a total value of $97,360.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 174,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,240,247.06. This represents a 2.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 27,983 shares of company stock valued at $842,957. Company insiders own 5.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Septerna

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Septerna by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,337,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,158,000 after purchasing an additional 100,000 shares during the period. First Light Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Septerna by 18.0% in the first quarter. First Light Asset Management LLC now owns 732,860 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,611,000 after purchasing an additional 112,049 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Septerna during the first quarter worth about $906,000. Swiss National Bank acquired a new position in Septerna during the first quarter worth about $531,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in Septerna by 6.1% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 58,709 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,411,000 after buying an additional 3,377 shares in 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.