Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN) Given New $38.00 Price Target at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Key Points

• JPMorgan Chase raised its price target on Septerna to $38 (from $34) and kept an "overweight" rating, implying about a 62.89% upside from the prior close.
• Septerna's consensus rating is a "Moderate Buy" with an average analyst target of $43.14, based on 1 Strong Buy, 6 Buy, 1 Hold and 1 Sell, and several firms recently raised targets or initiated coverage.
• Shares traded around $23.33 (market cap ~$1.05B); the company slightly missed EPS expectations while beating revenue ($24.12M) but remains unprofitable with a negative net margin, and insiders have executed notable share sales recently.

Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN - Get Free Report) had its price target upped by equities research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $34.00 to $38.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "overweight" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price target indicates a potential upside of 62.89% from the company's previous close.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on SEPN. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Septerna from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. JonesTrading began coverage on Septerna in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. They set a "buy" rating and a $43.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Septerna in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. HC Wainwright raised their target price on Septerna from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Septerna from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Septerna presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $43.14.

Septerna Price Performance

Septerna stock traded down $0.45 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $23.33. The company had a trading volume of 79,830 shares, compared to its average volume of 308,149. The company has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a P/E ratio of -21.07 and a beta of 3.43. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $26.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.03. Septerna has a 1 year low of $4.66 and a 1 year high of $32.63.

Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 9th. The company reported ($0.24) earnings per share 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%. The firm had revenue of $24.12 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.44 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that Septerna will post -7.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Septerna news, insider Samira Shaikhly sold 70,453 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were 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 directly owned 793 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,283.30. The trade was a 98.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Elizabeth Bhatt sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at $5,046,834.73. This trade represents a 2.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 4.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SEPN. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Septerna by 86.6% in 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 last quarter. First Light Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Septerna in the 4th quarter worth approximately $17,308,000. Primecap Management Co. CA purchased a new position in Septerna during the 4th quarter worth approximately $15,225,000. Perceptive Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Septerna during the 2nd quarter valued at $5,723,000. Finally, VR Adviser LLC acquired a new stake in Septerna during the 2nd quarter valued at $5,713,000.

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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