Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN) Reaches New 1-Year High on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Shares of Septerna, Inc. (NASDAQ:SEPN) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The company traded as high as $40.65 and last traded at $38.2550, with a volume of 303743 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $38.83.

The company reported ($0.29) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.43) by $0.14. Septerna had a negative return on equity of 9.59% and a negative net margin of 24.51%.The company had revenue of $26.75 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.22 million.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus set a $49.00 price objective on Septerna in a report on Tuesday. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Septerna from $45.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $49.00 price target on shares of Septerna in a research note on Tuesday. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Septerna from $35.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Septerna in a research note on Friday, July 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $46.78.

Insider Buying and Selling at Septerna

In other news, insider Samira Shaikhly sold 11,798 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.06, for a total transaction 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. This represents a 93.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Daniel D. Long sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 96,412 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,423,590.12. This trade represents a 13.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 47,828 shares of company stock valued at $1,584,314 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 5.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Septerna

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Light Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Septerna by 18.0% during the 1st quarter. First Light Asset Management LLC now owns 732,860 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,611,000 after acquiring an additional 112,049 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in Septerna in the first quarter valued at approximately $619,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC acquired a new position in Septerna during the first quarter valued at approximately $21,334,000. Swiss National Bank bought a new stake in Septerna during the first quarter worth $531,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new stake in Septerna during the first quarter worth $906,000.

Septerna Stock Performance

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $34.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $29.25. The stock has a market cap of $2.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -88.44 and a beta of 2.29.

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.