First Trust Advisors LP Sells 153,131 Shares of Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:SRPT)

First Trust Advisors LP trimmed its stake in Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:SRPT - Free Report) by 32.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 311,785 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 153,131 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.33% of Sarepta Therapeutics worth $37,910,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Capital International Investors lifted its stake in shares of Sarepta Therapeutics by 38.9% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,697,137 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $1,057,482,000 after buying an additional 2,437,855 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Sarepta Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth $126,315,000. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Sarepta Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth $22,613,000. Swedbank AB bought a new stake in Sarepta Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at about $16,706,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Sarepta Therapeutics by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,085,456 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,104,701,000 after purchasing an additional 117,904 shares during the last quarter. 86.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Sarepta Therapeutics

In related news, Director Claude Nicaise sold 2,491 shares of Sarepta Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.64, for a total value of $248,203.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 27,812 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,771,187.68. The trade was a 8.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 7.70% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on SRPT shares. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Sarepta Therapeutics in a report on Friday, April 11th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $115.00 price target for the company. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of Sarepta Therapeutics from $182.00 to $110.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Sarepta Therapeutics from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $161.00 to $87.00 in a report on Monday, March 31st. Needham & Company LLC reduced their target price on shares of Sarepta Therapeutics from $202.00 to $183.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on Sarepta Therapeutics from $124.00 to $99.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $158.70.

Sarepta Therapeutics Price Performance

NASDAQ SRPT traded down $0.32 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $61.19. 813,634 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,421,758. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $76.41 and a 200-day moving average of $105.15. Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. has a one year low of $48.01 and a one year high of $173.25. The stock has a market cap of $5.94 billion, a PE ratio of 49.03 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a current ratio of 3.84, a quick ratio of 3.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93.

Sarepta Therapeutics Profile

Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc, a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery and development of RNA-targeted therapeutics, gene therapies, and other genetic therapeutic modalities for the treatment of rare diseases. It offers EXONDYS 51 injection to treat duchenne muscular dystrophy (duchenne) in patients with confirmed mutation of the dystrophin gene that is amenable to exon 51 skipping; VYONDYS 53 for the treatment of duchenne in patients with confirmed mutation of the dystrophin gene that is amenable to exon 53 skipping; AMONDYS 45 for the treatment of duchenne in patients with confirmed mutation of the dystrophin gene; and ELEVIDYS, an adeno-associated virus based gene therapy for the treatment of ambulatory pediatric patients aged 4 through 5 years with duchenne with a confirmed mutation in the duchenne gene.