Atyr PHARMA INC (NASDAQ:ATYR) Short Interest Up 27.1% in August

Atyr PHARMA INC (NASDAQ:ATYR) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 440,900 shares, an increase of 27.1% from the August 15th total of 346,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 387,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.1 days. Approximately 0.6% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $16.00 target price on shares of Atyr PHARMA in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Atyr PHARMA in a report on Thursday, September 5th. They set a “buy” rating and a $9.00 price objective for the company. Finally, HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $35.00 target price on shares of Atyr PHARMA in a research note on Thursday, August 15th.

Atyr PHARMA Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ATYR traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $1.90. 247,219 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 461,821. The firm has a market cap of $144.02 million, a P/E ratio of -2.11 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 7.63 and a current ratio of 7.63. Atyr PHARMA has a twelve month low of $1.08 and a twelve month high of $2.50. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $1.87.

Atyr PHARMA (NASDAQ:ATYR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 13th. The company reported ($0.23) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.24) by $0.01. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Atyr PHARMA will post -0.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atyr PHARMA

In related news, Director Paul Schimmel acquired 52,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 24th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $1.93 per share, with a total value of $100,939.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 413,023 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $797,134.39. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 3.70% of the company’s stock.

About Atyr PHARMA

aTyr Pharma, Inc, a biotherapeutics company, engages in the discovery and development of medicines based on novel immunological pathways in the United States. Its lead therapeutic candidate is efzofitimod, a selective modulator of NRP2 that is in Phase III clinical trial for pulmonary sarcoidosis; and in Phase 1b/2a clinical trial for treatment of other interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), such as chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis and connective tissue disease related ILD.