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

Enanta Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ENTA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on the stock. JMP Securities reissued a "market outperform" rating and set a $21.00 target price on shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals from $26.00 to $20.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Enanta Pharmaceuticals presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $17.25.

Enanta Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ENTA traded down $0.35 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $8.03. 611,085 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 568,699. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $5.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $9.26. The company has a market cap of $171.28 million, a PE ratio of -1.62 and a beta of 0.54. Enanta Pharmaceuticals has a 12 month low of $4.71 and a 12 month high of $17.80.

Enanta Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ENTA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The biotechnology company reported ($1.05) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Enanta Pharmaceuticals will post -4.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Enanta Pharmaceuticals

In other news, CEO Jay R. Luly bought 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 846,638 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,817,370.22. This trade represents a 5.61 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 13.89% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Enanta Pharmaceuticals

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ENTA. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Enanta Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in shares of 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 worth $41,000 after buying an additional 2,274 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals by 4,933.7% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,329 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 4,243 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth $58,000. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new position in shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth $66,000. 94.99% of the stock is currently 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.