Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENTA) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENTA) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $17.25.

ENTA has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $21.00 price objective on shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and set a $18.00 target price on shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th.

Enanta Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 2.8 %

NASDAQ:ENTA opened at $5.79 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $6.04 and its 200 day moving average is $7.21. Enanta Pharmaceuticals has a 12 month low of $4.09 and a 12 month high of $17.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $123.52 million, a PE ratio of -1.17 and a beta of 0.69.

Enanta Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ENTA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The biotechnology company reported ($1.05) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. Research analysts predict that Enanta Pharmaceuticals will post -4.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Enanta Pharmaceuticals

In other Enanta Pharmaceuticals news, CEO Jay R. Luly purchased 45,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 846,638 shares in the company, valued at $4,817,370.22. The trade was a 5.61 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed 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

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. RA Capital Management L.P. bought a new position in Enanta Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at $5,968,000. Stonepine Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,908,000. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals by 22.7% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 896,987 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $5,158,000 after acquiring an additional 165,692 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals by 52.8% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 297,106 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,708,000 after purchasing an additional 102,646 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its position in Enanta Pharmaceuticals by 51.3% in the 4th quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 290,011 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,668,000 after purchasing an additional 98,285 shares during the period. 94.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.