Septerna (NASDAQ:SEPN) Shares Down 5.9% on Insider Selling

Shares of Septerna, Inc. (NASDAQ:SEPN) were down 5.9% during trading on Friday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $26.15 and last traded at $25.4950. Approximately 11,134 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 96% from the average daily volume of 291,271 shares. The stock had previously closed at $27.08.

Specifically, COO Elizabeth Bhatt sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.97, for a total value of $115,880.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 174,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,046,834.73. The trade was a 2.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on SEPN shares. Zacks Research lowered shares of Septerna from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Septerna from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. Truist Financial initiated coverage on Septerna in a report on Monday, December 15th. They set a “buy” rating and a $34.00 target price on the stock. JonesTrading started coverage on Septerna in a research note on Tuesday, December 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $43.00 price target for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Septerna in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $33.83.

Septerna Stock Up 0.7%

The stock has a market cap of $1.22 billion, a P/E ratio of -18.07 and a beta of 3.85. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $26.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $21.71.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Septerna

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SEPN. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its holdings in shares of Septerna by 116.7% in the second quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 222,702 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,354,000 after purchasing an additional 119,953 shares during the last quarter. CW Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Septerna during the 2nd quarter worth about $133,000. Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake 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 buying an additional 3,323 shares during the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its stake in Septerna by 93.1% in the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 5,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $156,000 after buying an additional 2,700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Septerna in the 4th quarter valued at about $218,000.

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.