Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN) Trading Up 9% on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Shares of Septerna, Inc. (NASDAQ:SEPN) traded up 9% during mid-day trading on Tuesday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The company traded as high as $41.89 and last traded at $42.3630. Approximately 37,326 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 89% from the average daily volume of 344,609 shares. The stock had previously closed at $38.85.

The company reported ($0.29) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.43) by $0.14. Septerna had a negative net margin of 49.88% and a negative return on equity of 12.72%. The firm had revenue of $26.75 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.22 million.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on SEPN. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Septerna in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $51.00 target price on shares of Septerna in a research report on Tuesday. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Septerna from $35.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on Septerna in a research report on Friday, May 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $43.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Raymond James Financial increased their price target on Septerna from $47.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Septerna presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $46.56.

Insider Transactions at Septerna

In other Septerna news, SVP Daniel D. Long sold 3,334 shares of Septerna stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.47, for a total transaction of $114,922.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 96,412 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,323,321.64. The trade was a 3.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Samira Shaikhly sold 2,178 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.18, for a total value of $76,622.04. Following the sale, the insider owned 793 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,897.74. This represents a 73.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 47,828 shares of company stock worth $1,584,314 in the last three months. 5.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Septerna

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Group One Trading LLC grew its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Septerna in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. bought a new stake in Septerna during the third quarter valued at $36,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Septerna during the fourth quarter worth about $53,000. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Septerna during the fourth quarter worth about $61,000.

Septerna Stock Performance

The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $34.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $29.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.88 billion, a P/E ratio of -51.87 and a beta of 2.29.

About Septerna

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.