Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AUPH) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Strong-Buy” Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AUPH) (TSE:AUP) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report published on Thursday morning.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 0.7 %

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $8.46 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -56.40 and a beta of 1.26. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $8.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $8.02. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals has a 1-year low of $4.71 and a 1-year high of $10.67. The company has a current ratio of 5.60, a quick ratio of 5.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Greg Keenan sold 8,305 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.23, for a total transaction of $68,350.15. Following the sale, the insider now owns 153,484 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,263,173.32. This represents a 5.13 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Matthew Maxwell Donley sold 65,902 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.00, for a total transaction of $527,216.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 739,456 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,915,648. The trade was a 8.18 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 343,898 shares of company stock valued at $2,753,094. Corporate insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aurinia Pharmaceuticals

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AUPH. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new position in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 368.5% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,350 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 2,635 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Natixis purchased a new stake in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. 36.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

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.