Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENTA) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENTA) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $17.25.

Several analysts have commented on the company. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $21.00 price target on shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $18.00 price target on shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Enanta Pharmaceuticals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Jay R. Luly bought 45,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $5.69 per share, for a total transaction of $256,050.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 846,638 shares in the company, valued at $4,817,370.22. This represents a 5.61 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 13.89% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Enanta Pharmaceuticals

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Krensavage Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals by 19.7% during the third quarter. Krensavage Asset Management LLC now owns 1,498,074 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $15,520,000 after acquiring an additional 246,736 shares in the last quarter. RA Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Enanta Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,968,000. Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals by 9.3% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 930,087 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $5,348,000 after purchasing an additional 79,197 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals by 22.7% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 896,987 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $5,158,000 after buying an additional 165,692 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals by 3.1% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 477,351 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $4,946,000 after buying an additional 14,575 shares in the last quarter. 94.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Enanta Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ENTA opened at $4.73 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $100.91 million, a P/E ratio of -0.96 and a beta of 0.47. Enanta Pharmaceuticals has a 1 year low of $4.52 and a 1 year high of $17.24. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $6.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $8.00.

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

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.