Marshall Wace LLP Purchases 79,197 Shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENTA)

Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENTA - Free Report) by 9.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 930,087 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after purchasing an additional 79,197 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP owned approximately 4.36% of Enanta Pharmaceuticals worth $5,348,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. AlphaQuest LLC increased its holdings in Enanta Pharmaceuticals by 16.4% in the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 22,260 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $128,000 after buying an additional 3,137 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Enanta Pharmaceuticals by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 46,614 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $268,000 after purchasing an additional 3,186 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 36,962 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $213,000 after purchasing an additional 3,501 shares during the period. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its position in shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals by 69.6% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 15,881 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $91,000 after buying an additional 6,518 shares during the period. 94.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on ENTA shares. StockNews.com upgraded Enanta Pharmaceuticals from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and issued a $18.00 price target on shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and set a $21.00 price objective on shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $17.25.

Enanta Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 0.3 %

NASDAQ ENTA traded up $0.02 on Tuesday, hitting $5.65. 10,465 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 285,973. The company has a market cap of $120.42 million, a P/E ratio of -1.14 and a beta of 0.69. Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $4.09 and a 1-year high of $17.24. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $6.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $7.22.

Enanta Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ENTA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The biotechnology company reported ($1.05) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.16) by $0.11. Enanta Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 157.57% and a negative return on equity of 75.53%. Research analysts anticipate that Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -4.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Jay R. Luly bought 45,000 shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $5.69 per share, for a total transaction of $256,050.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 846,638 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,817,370.22. This represents a 5.61 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 13.89% of the company's stock.

About Enanta Pharmaceuticals

Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a biotechnology company, discovers and develops small molecule drugs for the treatment of viral infections and liver diseases. Its product pipeline comprises EDP-514, which is in phase 1b clinical development for the treatment of chronic infection with hepatitis B virus or HBV; EDP-938 and EDP-323, which is in phase II clinical development for the treatment of respiratory syncytial virus; EDP-235, which is in phase II clinical development for the treatment of human coronaviruses; and Glecaprevir, which is in the market for the treatment of chronic infection with hepatitis C virus or HCV.