Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN) Shares Down 5.5% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Shares fell 5.5% intraday to about $23.47 (low $22.97) on light trading—≈38,317 shares exchanged hands, an 87% decline from average volume.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but tilted positive: the stock's consensus is a “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $43.14 (top targets up to $60 and multiple recent buy/overweight notes).
• In the latest quarter Septerna reported EPS ($0.24), missing consensus by $0.01 while revenue beat at $24.12M; the company shows a negative net margin (~106%) and a market cap of about $1.06B.

Septerna, Inc. (NASDAQ:SEPN - Get Free Report)'s share price was down 5.5% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $22.97 and last traded at $23.4720. Approximately 38,317 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 287,771 shares. The stock had previously closed at $24.83.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SEPN has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Septerna in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Septerna from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Zacks Research upgraded Septerna from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an "overweight" rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of Septerna in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, HC Wainwright boosted their target price on Septerna from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $43.14.

Septerna Trading Down 4.9%

The stock has a market cap of $1.06 billion, a P/E ratio of -21.30 and a beta of 3.50. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $26.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $24.77.

Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN - Get Free Report) last released its 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). The firm had revenue of $24.12 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.44 million. Septerna had a negative net margin of 106.37% and a negative return on equity of 15.85%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Septerna, Inc. will post -7.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Samira Shaikhly sold 70,453 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.10, for a total transaction of $1,979,729.30. Following the sale, the insider owned 793 shares in the company, valued at $22,283.30. This represents a 98.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, COO Elizabeth Bhatt sold 4,000 shares of the company's 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 sale, the chief operating officer owned 174,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,046,834.73. This represents a 2.24% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 4.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Septerna

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings 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 in the last quarter. First Light Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Septerna during the fourth quarter worth about $17,308,000. Primecap Management Co. CA acquired a new stake in Septerna during the fourth quarter worth approximately $15,225,000. Perceptive Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Septerna in the second quarter valued at approximately $5,723,000. Finally, VR Adviser LLC acquired a new stake in Septerna in the second quarter valued at approximately $5,713,000.

Septerna Company Profile

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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