Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN) Shares Up 8.4% After Earnings Beat

Septerna, Inc. (NASDAQ:SEPN)’s stock price shot up 8.4% during trading on Tuesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The company traded as high as $25.63 and last traded at $25.5540. 23,187 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 92% from the average session volume of 304,347 shares. The stock had previously closed at $23.57.

The company reported ($0.19) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.51) by $0.32. Septerna had a negative return on equity of 15.85% and a negative net margin of 106.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on SEPN. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Septerna from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Septerna from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company 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. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $40.00 target price on shares of Septerna in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Septerna from $28.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $43.13.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Samira Shaikhly sold 70,453 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the insider owned 793 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,283.30. This represents a 98.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, COO Elizabeth Bhatt sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.34, for a total transaction of $97,360.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 174,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,240,247.06. This trade represents a 2.24% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 78,453 shares of company stock worth $2,192,969. 4.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SEPN. Group One Trading LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Septerna during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. purchased a new stake in Septerna during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in Septerna during the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Septerna in the fourth quarter worth $61,000.

Septerna Stock Up 7.3%

The company has a market capitalization of $1.14 billion, a PE ratio of -22.82 and a beta of 2.21. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $25.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $25.42.

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.