Septerna, Inc. (NASDAQ:SEPN) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst consensus: Nine analysts give Septerna an average rating of "Moderate Buy" (6 buys, 1 strong buy, 1 hold, 1 sell) with a 1‑year average price target of $43.14.
• Insider selling: Insiders sold 78,453 shares worth $2.19M over the last 90 days (including Samira Shaikhly's 70,453‑share sale and COO Elizabeth Bhatt's 4,000‑share sale), leaving insiders with about 4.30% ownership.
• Financial/valuation snapshot: SEPN trades around $26, has a $1.17B market cap, a one‑year range of $5.73–$32.63, reported a quarterly EPS miss and negative margins, and analysts forecast roughly a -7.11 EPS for the current year.

Shares of Septerna, Inc. (NASDAQ:SEPN - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the nine analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has assigned a hold recommendation, six have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $43.1429.

Several research firms have recently commented on SEPN. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Septerna from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of Septerna in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Septerna in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Septerna from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, JonesTrading initiated coverage on shares of Septerna in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $43.00 price objective on the stock.

Septerna Price Performance

SEPN opened at $26.13 on Friday. Septerna has a one year low of $5.73 and a one year high of $32.63. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $26.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $25.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.17 billion, a P/E ratio of -23.54 and a beta of 3.50.

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

Insider Activity at Septerna

In related news, insider Samira Shaikhly sold 70,453 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.10, for a total value of $1,979,729.30. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 793 shares in the company, valued at $22,283.30. This represents a 98.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Elizabeth Bhatt sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.34, for a total transaction of $97,360.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 174,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,240,247.06. This trade represents a 2.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 78,453 shares of company stock worth $2,192,969 over the last 90 days. 4.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Septerna

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Group One Trading LLC grew its position in Septerna by 111.8% in the fourth quarter. Group One Trading LLC now owns 944 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 8,955 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new position in Septerna in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. bought a new position in Septerna in the third quarter valued at $36,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in Septerna in the fourth quarter valued at $53,000. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Septerna in the fourth quarter valued at $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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