Zacks Research Downgrades Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AUPH) to Hold

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AUPH) (TSE:AUP) was downgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Separately, Weiss Ratings cut Aurinia Pharmaceuticals from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $17.25.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $15.33 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 5.55 and a quick ratio of 5.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.06 and a beta of 1.41. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals has a 1-year low of $8.80 and a 1-year high of $19.25. The company’s 50-day moving average is $16.01 and its 200 day moving average is $15.36.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AUPH) (TSE:AUP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The biotechnology company reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.07. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 26.62% and a net margin of 99.97%.The business had revenue of $77.71 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $76.98 million. Research analysts forecast that Aurinia Pharmaceuticals will post 0.81 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Aurinia Pharmaceuticals

In related news, CEO Kevin Tang bought 206,005 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $15.28 per share, for a total transaction of $3,147,756.40. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 13,044,106 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $199,313,939.68. The trade was a 1.60% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Over the last three months, insiders have bought 814,606 shares of company stock valued at $12,455,129. 10.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of AUPH. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. bought a new stake in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 411.9% during the 1st quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,471 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 2,793 shares in the last quarter. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth $82,000. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. lifted its holdings in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 1,008.1% in the 1st quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 6,815 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $101,000 after buying an additional 6,200 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.83% of the company’s stock.

About Aurinia Pharmaceuticals

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc is a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapies for autoimmune diseases. The company’s proprietary molecule, voclosporin, is designed to selectively inhibit calcineurin and reduce inflammation associated with autoimmune responses. Aurinia operates research and development facilities in Canada and the United States, leveraging collaborations with academic institutions and contract research organizations to advance its clinical pipeline.

The company’s lead product, voclosporin (marketed as LUPKYNIS), received approval from the U.S.