Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AUPH) Trading 2.4% Higher

Shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:AUPH) (TSE:AUP) were up 2.4% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $6.96 and last traded at $6.89. Approximately 338,693 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 1,736,071 shares. The stock had previously closed at $6.73.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Aurinia Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $10.00.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $987.23 million, a PE ratio of -16.05 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a quick ratio of 5.05, a current ratio of 5.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $5.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $5.53.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AUPH) (TSE:AUP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The biotechnology company reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.01. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 24.31% and a negative return on equity of 11.75%. The business had revenue of $57.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $54.25 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.08) EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 37.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. will post 0.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Scott Michael Habig sold 18,249 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.31, for a total value of $96,902.19. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 456,338 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,423,154.78. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 4.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Armistice Capital LLC raised its holdings in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 57.7% in the 4th quarter. Armistice Capital LLC now owns 9,536,000 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $85,729,000 after purchasing an additional 3,488,000 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 39.1% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,048,456 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $18,416,000 after purchasing an additional 576,120 shares during the last quarter. Stonepine Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter worth $1,713,000. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,089,000. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP lifted its stake in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 196.1% in the 1st quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 349,204 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,750,000 after purchasing an additional 231,260 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.83% of the company’s stock.

About Aurinia Pharmaceuticals

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc, a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing and commercializing therapies to treat various diseases with unmet medical need in the United States. It offers LUPKYNIS for the treatment of adult patients with active lupus nephritis. It has a collaboration and license agreement with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co, Ltd.