JonesTrading Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN) Stock

Key Points

• JonesTrading raised Septerna’s price target to $62 from $43 and maintained a “buy” rating, implying 36.64% upside from the previous close.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $51.33; multiple firms recently increased their targets, though Weiss Ratings maintained a “sell” rating.
• Septerna’s shares fell 5.8% to $45.37 despite quarterly results beating expectations, with EPS of negative $0.29 versus estimates of negative $0.43 and revenue of $26.75 million versus $19.22 million expected.

Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN - Get Free Report) had its target price increased by equities researchers at JonesTrading from $43.00 to $62.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the stock. JonesTrading's target price would indicate a potential upside of 36.64% from the stock's previous close.

SEPN has been the topic of several other reports. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $49.00 price target on shares of Septerna in a report on Tuesday. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Septerna from $35.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Guggenheim raised their target price on Septerna from $45.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. HC Wainwright boosted their target price on shares of Septerna from $40.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Septerna in a research note on Friday, July 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $51.33.

Septerna Trading Down 5.8%

Shares of SEPN stock traded down $2.82 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $45.37. 478,258 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 358,741. The company's 50-day moving average price is $35.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $29.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -84.08 and a beta of 2.29. Septerna has a 12-month low of $10.74 and a 12-month high of $51.10.

Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported ($0.29) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.43) by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $26.75 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.22 million. Septerna had a negative return on equity of 9.59% and a negative net margin of 24.51%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Septerna will post -1.59 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Daniel D. Long sold 3,334 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.47, for a total transaction of $114,922.98. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 96,412 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,323,321.64. The trade was a 3.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Samira Shaikhly sold 2,178 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.18, for a total transaction of $76,622.04. Following the sale, the insider owned 793 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,897.74. The trade was a 73.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 47,828 shares of company stock valued at $1,584,314 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 5.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Septerna

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Group One Trading LLC raised its holdings in shares of Septerna by 111.8% in the 4th quarter. Group One Trading LLC now owns 944 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 8,955 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Septerna in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Septerna in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Septerna in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Septerna in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $61,000.

About Septerna

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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