Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN) Stock Price Down 8% - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Septerna shares fell 8% to about $40.41, with trading volume roughly half its average. The stock remains above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages but has a negative P/E ratio and is not yet profitable.
• Analysts remain broadly optimistic, giving Septerna a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $52.44, representing potential upside from the current price.
• Septerna beat quarterly expectations, reporting an adjusted loss of $0.29 per share versus the expected $0.43 loss and revenue of $26.75 million versus the $19.22 million estimate. However, insiders sold 72,828 shares worth approximately $2.68 million over the past quarter.

Shares of Septerna, Inc. (NASDAQ:SEPN - Get Free Report) traded down 8% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $40.30 and last traded at $40.41. Approximately 175,984 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 51% from the average session volume of 362,388 shares. The stock had previously closed at $43.93.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SEPN has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus set a $49.00 price target on shares of Septerna in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Septerna from $35.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Septerna in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Septerna from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price target on Septerna from $45.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $52.44.

Septerna Stock Down 7.6%

The stock has a market cap of $1.89 billion, a PE ratio of -75.13 and a beta of 2.29. The business's fifty day moving average is $36.63 and its 200 day moving average is $30.09.

Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported ($0.29) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.43) by $0.14. The company had revenue of $26.75 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.22 million. Septerna had a negative net margin of 24.51% and a negative return on equity of 9.57%. As a group, analysts predict that Septerna, Inc. will post -1.36 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Septerna news, SVP Daniel D. Long sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.51, for a total value of $532,650.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 96,412 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,423,590.12. This represents a 13.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Samira Shaikhly sold 11,798 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.06, for a total value of $354,647.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 793 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,837.58. The trade was a 93.70% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 72,828 shares of company stock worth $2,684,314. Insiders own 5.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Septerna

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Group One Trading LLC lifted its holdings in Septerna by 111.8% in the 4th 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 acquired a new position in shares of Septerna in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Septerna during the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Septerna during the fourth quarter worth approximately $53,000. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Septerna during the fourth quarter worth approximately $61,000.

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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