Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN) Earns "Buy" Rating from HC Wainwright

Key Points

• HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating on Septerna and set a $40 price target, implying about 19.4% upside from the previous close.
• Other analysts remain largely positive, with Septerna holding a Moderate Buy consensus rating and a $46.67 average price target across coverage.
• Septerna reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, posting a smaller-than-expected loss and higher revenue than analysts projected, though the company still shows negative profitability metrics.

Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating reissued by equities researchers at HC Wainwright in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $40.00 target price on the stock. HC Wainwright's price objective points to a potential upside of 19.44% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on SEPN. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Septerna from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on Septerna in a research note on Friday, May 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $43.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut Septerna from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Septerna in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised their target price on shares of Septerna from $47.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $46.67.

Septerna Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SEPN opened at $33.49 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.51 billion, a P/E ratio of -41.35 and a beta of 2.39. Septerna has a 1-year low of $10.30 and a 1-year high of $37.99. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $29.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $27.49.

Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 11th. The company reported ($0.19) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.42) by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $26.52 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.98 million. Septerna had a negative net margin of 49.88% and a negative return on equity of 12.72%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Septerna will post -1.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Septerna

In other news, insider Samira Shaikhly sold 2,178 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.18, for a total value of $76,622.04. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 793 shares of the company's stock, valued at $27,897.74. This trade represents a 73.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Daniel D. Long sold 15,000 shares of Septerna stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.51, for a total value of $532,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 96,412 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,423,590.12. This trade represents a 13.46% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 45,161 shares of company stock worth $1,452,229 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 5.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Septerna

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Septerna by 86.6% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,715,129 shares of the company's stock worth $75,698,000 after purchasing an additional 1,260,409 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Septerna by 7.4% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,518,757 shares of the company's stock worth $28,568,000 after purchasing an additional 104,394 shares during the last quarter. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Septerna by 8.1% in the third quarter. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,337,500 shares of the company's stock worth $25,158,000 after purchasing an additional 100,000 shares during the last quarter. ADAR1 Capital Management LLC boosted its position 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 valued at $22,130,000 after buying an additional 329,264 shares during the period. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC bought a new position in shares of Septerna during the first quarter valued at approximately $21,334,000.

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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