Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN) Sets New 52-Week High Following Analyst Upgrade

Septerna, Inc. (NASDAQ:SEPN) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday after Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on the stock from $49.00 to $60.00. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a buy rating on the stock. Septerna traded as high as $52.02 and last traded at $50.5890, with a volume of 125,001 shares. The stock had previously closed at $50.74.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $49.00 price objective on shares of Septerna in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Septerna from $38.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. HC Wainwright boosted their price objective on shares of Septerna from $40.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Septerna from $51.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Septerna from $50.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $56.44.

Insider Activity at Septerna

In other news, COO Elizabeth Bhatt sold 4,000 shares of Septerna stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total value of $149,640.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 174,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,517,158.69. The trade was a 2.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Daniel Long sold 3,333 shares of Septerna stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.83, for a total transaction of $126,087.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 96,412 shares in the company, valued at $3,647,265.96. This trade represents a 3.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 5.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Septerna

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SEPN. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Septerna by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 43,683 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,709,000 after buying an additional 3,474 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in Septerna by 19.0% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,526 shares of the company’s stock worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 403 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Septerna in the third quarter worth $93,000. Profund Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Septerna during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,497,000. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al increased its stake in Septerna by 24.8% in the 3rd quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 16,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $650,000 after purchasing an additional 3,300 shares during the period.

Septerna Trading Up 0.7%

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $39.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $32.71. The firm has a market cap of $2.38 billion, a PE ratio of -94.95 and a beta of 2.20.

Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 9th. The company reported ($0.57) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by ($0.15). The firm had revenue of $18.88 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.78 million. Septerna had a negative net margin of 24.51% and a negative return on equity of 9.57%. Equities analysts expect that Septerna, Inc. will post -1.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Septerna

Septerna is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing medicines that target G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), a large family of proteins involved in many biological processes. The company is based in South San Francisco, California.

Its discovery platform is designed to identify drug candidates that act on GPCRs, including targets that have been difficult to address with conventional drug-development approaches. Septerna is advancing candidates for endocrine, metabolic and other disease areas, with an emphasis on small-molecule medicines.

Founded in 2021, Septerna has no marketed products; its work is focused on research and clinical development.