Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN) Stock Price Down 6.9% – Time to Sell?

Septerna, Inc. (NASDAQ:SEPN)’s stock price dropped 6.9% during trading on Wednesday. The stock traded as low as $49.33 and last traded at $48.7070. Approximately 27,637 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 92% from the average daily volume of 364,694 shares. The stock had previously closed at $52.34.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on SEPN shares. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Septerna from $49.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Septerna from $38.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. JonesTrading boosted their target price on Septerna from $43.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $49.00 target price on shares of Septerna in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Septerna in a report on Thursday, October 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $56.44.

Septerna Stock Down 9.2%

The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $40.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $32.84. The firm has a market cap of $2.22 billion, a PE ratio of -37.00 and a beta of 2.20.

Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 9th. The company reported ($0.57) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by ($0.15). Septerna had a negative return on equity of 15.43% and a negative net margin of 61.29%. The firm had revenue of $18.88 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.78 million. Research analysts expect that Septerna, Inc. will post -1.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Elizabeth Bhatt sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total transaction of $149,640.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 174,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,517,158.69. The trade was a 2.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Daniel D. Long sold 3,333 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.83, for a total value of $126,087.39. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 96,412 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,647,265.96. This represents a 3.34% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 5.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Septerna

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SEPN. Voya Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Septerna during the third quarter valued at approximately $565,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Septerna by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 43,683 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,709,000 after purchasing an additional 3,474 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its stake in Septerna by 19.0% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,526 shares of the company’s stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 403 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Septerna during the 3rd quarter valued at about $93,000. Finally, Profund Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Septerna during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,497,000.

About Septerna

Septerna is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing medicines that target G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), a large family of proteins involved in many biological processes. The company is based in South San Francisco, California. Its discovery platform is designed to identify drug candidates that act on GPCRs, including targets that have been difficult to address with conventional drug-development approaches. Septerna is advancing candidates for endocrine, metabolic and other disease areas, with an emphasis on small-molecule medicines.