HC Wainwright Reiterates Buy Rating for Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN)

Key Points

• HC Wainwright reiterated a Buy rating on Septerna (SEPN) with a $40 price target—implying roughly a 71% upside—and MarketBeat's consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with a $43.14 target.
• SEPN shares opened near $23.34 (market cap ~$1.05B); the company is unprofitable, reporting an EPS miss of ($0.24) last quarter and analysts forecast a sizable negative EPS for the year (~-7.11).
• Notable insider selling was reported: COO Elizabeth Bhatt sold 4,000 shares and Samira Shaikhly sold 70,453 shares, leaving insiders with about 4.3% ownership.

Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating reiterated by research analysts at HC Wainwright in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $40.00 price target on the stock. HC Wainwright's price objective suggests a potential upside of 71.38% from the company's current price.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on SEPN. Zacks Research raised shares of Septerna from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of Septerna in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Septerna from $28.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Septerna from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Septerna from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Septerna has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $43.14.

Septerna Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of SEPN opened at $23.34 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a P/E ratio of -21.03 and a beta of 3.50. Septerna has a 12-month low of $5.51 and a 12-month high of $32.63. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $26.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $24.98.

Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, March 9th. The company reported ($0.24) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.23) by ($0.01). Septerna had a negative net margin of 106.37% and a negative return on equity of 15.85%. Analysts predict that Septerna will post -7.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Septerna

In other Septerna news, COO Elizabeth Bhatt sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.97, for a total value of $115,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 174,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,046,834.73. The trade was a 2.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Samira Shaikhly sold 70,453 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.10, for a total transaction of $1,979,729.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 793 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,283.30. This represents a 98.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 4.30% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Septerna

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SEPN. Group One Trading LLC raised its holdings in Septerna by 111.8% in the fourth quarter. Group One Trading LLC now owns 944 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 8,955 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Septerna during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Septerna during the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Septerna during the fourth quarter valued at about $53,000. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Septerna during the fourth quarter valued at about $61,000.

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.

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