Prudential Financial Inc. Lowers Stock Position in Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENTA)

Prudential Financial Inc. cut its stake in shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENTA - Free Report) by 61.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 60,364 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 96,700 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. owned about 0.28% of Enanta Pharmaceuticals worth $347,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Enanta Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $58,000. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its holdings in Enanta Pharmaceuticals by 16.4% during the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 22,260 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $128,000 after acquiring an additional 3,137 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in Enanta Pharmaceuticals by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 36,962 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $213,000 after purchasing an additional 3,501 shares during the period. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans bought a new stake in shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $254,000. Institutional investors own 94.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Enanta Pharmaceuticals

In other news, CEO Jay R. Luly purchased 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was bought 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 directly owns 846,638 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,817,370.22. This represents a 5.61 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 13.89% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on ENTA. JMP Securities restated a "market outperform" rating and set a $21.00 price objective on shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and set a $18.00 price objective 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Enanta Pharmaceuticals has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $17.25.

Enanta Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 5.8 %

Shares of ENTA traded down $0.30 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $4.85. The stock had a trading volume of 34,680 shares, compared to its average volume of 282,948. The company's 50-day moving average is $6.30 and its 200 day moving average is $7.60. The company has a market capitalization of $103.47 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.98 and a beta of 0.69. Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $4.09 and a 12-month high of $17.24.

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

Enanta Pharmaceuticals Profile

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.