Truist Financial Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN) Stock

Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN) had its price objective lifted by research analysts at Truist Financial from $34.00 to $35.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Truist Financial’s price target points to a potential upside of 28.20% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on SEPN. Wall Street Zen cut Septerna from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. HC Wainwright upped their price target on Septerna from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Septerna from $28.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. JonesTrading began coverage on Septerna in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $43.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of Septerna in a report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Septerna has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $44.00.

Septerna Price Performance

SEPN stock traded down $0.72 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $27.30. The company had a trading volume of 24,622 shares, compared to its average volume of 308,509. Septerna has a 52 week low of $4.66 and a 52 week high of $32.63. The company has a market cap of $1.22 billion, a P/E ratio of -24.78 and a beta of 3.46. The business has a 50 day moving average of $26.89 and a 200 day moving average of $23.25.

Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 9th. The company reported ($0.24) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.23) by ($0.01). Septerna had a negative return on equity of 15.78% and a negative net margin of 106.37%.The company had revenue of $24.12 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.44 million. Research analysts expect that Septerna will post -7.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Septerna

In related news, COO Elizabeth Bhatt sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.97, for a total transaction of $115,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 174,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,046,834.73. This trade represents a 2.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Samira Shaikhly sold 70,453 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.10, for a total value of $1,979,729.30. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 793 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,283.30. This trade represents a 98.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 4.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Septerna

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its position in shares of Septerna by 116.7% in the 2nd quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 222,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,354,000 after purchasing an additional 119,953 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new position in Septerna in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Group One Trading LLC grew its position in Septerna by 111.8% during 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. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in Septerna during the 4th quarter valued at about $88,000. Finally, Seven Fleet Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Septerna during the 4th quarter valued at about $319,000.

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.