Enanta Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ENTA) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ENTA) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Wednesday morning.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on ENTA. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals from $26.00 to $20.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $21.00 price target on shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $18.00 price objective on shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Enanta Pharmaceuticals currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $17.25.

Enanta Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Enanta Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $8.03 on Wednesday. Enanta Pharmaceuticals has a fifty-two week low of $4.71 and a fifty-two week high of $17.80. The company has a market cap of $171.28 million, a PE ratio of -1.62 and a beta of 0.54. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $5.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $9.26.

Enanta Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ENTA) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The biotechnology company reported ($1.05) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.16) by $0.11. Enanta Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 157.57% and a negative return on equity of 75.53%. As a group, analysts predict that Enanta Pharmaceuticals will post -4.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Jay R. Luly purchased 45,000 shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $5.69 per share, for a total transaction of $256,050.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 846,638 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,817,370.22. This trade represents a 5.61 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 13.89% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Enanta Pharmaceuticals

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals by 4,933.7% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,329 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 4,243 shares during the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in Enanta Pharmaceuticals by 46.1% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,202 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 2,274 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Enanta Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $58,000. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth $66,000. 94.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Enanta Pharmaceuticals

Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a biotechnology company, discovers and develops small molecule drugs for the treatment of viral infections and liver diseases. Its product pipeline comprises EDP-514, which is in phase 1b clinical development for the treatment of chronic infection with hepatitis B virus or HBV; EDP-938 and EDP-323, which is in phase II clinical development for the treatment of respiratory syncytial virus; EDP-235, which is in phase II clinical development for the treatment of human coronaviruses; and Glecaprevir, which is in the market for the treatment of chronic infection with hepatitis C virus or HCV.