Short Interest in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:AUPH) Declines By 13.8%

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:AUPH) (TSE:AUP) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in August. As of August 15th, there was short interest totalling 8,480,000 shares, a drop of 13.8% from the July 31st total of 9,840,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,310,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 6.5 days.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 1.3 %

NASDAQ AUPH traded down $0.09 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $6.81. 1,128,164 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,742,440. The company has a current ratio of 5.60, a quick ratio of 5.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals has a 1-year low of $4.71 and a 1-year high of $10.24. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $5.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $5.52. The firm has a market cap of $971.54 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -15.84 and a beta of 1.44.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AUPH) (TSE:AUP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The biotechnology company reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting 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 company had revenue of $57.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $54.25 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.08) EPS. The business’s revenue was up 37.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Aurinia Pharmaceuticals will post 0.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Aurinia Pharmaceuticals

In other news, insider Scott Michael Habig sold 18,249 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider now owns 456,338 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,423,154.78. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 4.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aurinia Pharmaceuticals

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Armistice Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 57.7% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 39.1% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,048,456 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $18,416,000 after acquiring an additional 576,120 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,531,617 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $7,673,000 after acquiring an additional 21,119 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 18.8% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 488,721 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $2,791,000 after purchasing an additional 77,510 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP grew its position in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 196.1% in the 1st quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 349,204 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,750,000 after purchasing an additional 231,260 shares in the last quarter. 36.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.