Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN) Shares Up 7.9% – Still a Buy?

Septerna, Inc. (NASDAQ:SEPN)’s stock price traded up 7.9% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $25.50 and last traded at $25.18. 78,211 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 72% from the average session volume of 278,571 shares. The stock had previously closed at $23.34.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on SEPN. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on Septerna in a report on Friday, December 19th. They issued a “strong-buy” rating and a $38.00 price target for the company. HC Wainwright upped their target price on Septerna from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Jones Trading initiated coverage on Septerna in a research note on Tuesday, December 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $43.00 price target on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded Septerna from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Septerna from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $18.00 to $28.00 in a report on Friday, November 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $33.83.

Septerna Stock Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average of $26.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $20.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.11 billion, a PE ratio of -16.45 and a beta of 3.86.

Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The company reported ($0.09) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.19 by ($0.28). The firm had revenue of $21.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.50 million. Septerna had a negative return on equity of 17.98% and a negative net margin of 266.77%. On average, equities analysts expect that Septerna, Inc. will post -7.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Daniel D. Long sold 3,501 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.06, for a total transaction of $63,228.06. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 92,911 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,677,972.66. This represents a 3.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 4.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Septerna

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Perceptive Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Septerna in the 2nd quarter worth $5,723,000. VR Adviser LLC purchased a new stake in Septerna in the second quarter valued at about $5,713,000. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in Septerna by 639.6% in the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 384,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,227,000 after acquiring an additional 332,256 shares in the last quarter. ADAR1 Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Septerna by 38.9% during the third quarter. ADAR1 Capital Management LLC now owns 1,176,491 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,130,000 after acquiring an additional 329,264 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Woodline Partners LP increased its holdings in shares of Septerna by 94.2% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 582,585 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,373,000 after acquiring an additional 282,585 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.