Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN) Reaches New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Septerna, Inc. (NASDAQ:SEPN) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $37.32 and last traded at $35.8750, with a volume of 31921 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $35.80.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SEPN has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Septerna from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of Septerna in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Septerna in a report on Friday, May 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $43.00 price target for the company. Guggenheim initiated coverage on shares of Septerna in a report on Thursday, June 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $52.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Septerna from $28.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Septerna currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $45.78.

Septerna Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $27.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $26.92. The company has a market cap of $1.58 billion, a P/E ratio of -43.24 and a beta of 2.39.

Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 12th. The company reported ($0.19) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.23. The company had revenue of $26.52 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.98 million. Septerna had a negative net margin of 49.88% and a negative return on equity of 12.72%. As a group, analysts forecast that Septerna, Inc. will post -1.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Septerna

In related news, insider Samira Shaikhly sold 6,250 shares of Septerna stock in a transaction on Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.08, for a total value of $219,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 793 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,818.44. This trade represents a 88.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Elizabeth Bhatt sold 4,000 shares of Septerna 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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 174,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,240,247.06. The trade was a 2.24% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 27,983 shares of company stock valued at $842,957. 5.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Septerna

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SEPN. Woodline Partners LP grew its position in Septerna by 94.2% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 582,585 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,373,000 after purchasing an additional 282,585 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in Septerna by 16.6% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 23,318 shares of the company’s stock valued at $135,000 after purchasing an additional 3,323 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Septerna by 19.1% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 487,956 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,158,000 after purchasing an additional 78,316 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Septerna by 15.0% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,101 shares of the company’s stock valued at $107,000 after purchasing an additional 1,315 shares during the period. Finally, CW Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Septerna during the 2nd quarter worth $133,000.

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.