Short Interest in aTyr Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATYR) Decreases By 42.9%

aTyr Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATYR) was the target of a large drop in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 8,277,406 shares, a drop of 42.9% from the June 30th total of 14,505,076 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,945,452 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.3 days. Currently, 9.0% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on ATYR. Weiss Ratings raised aTyr Pharma from a “sell (e+)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of aTyr Pharma from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of aTyr Pharma from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, July 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $17.00.

aTyr Pharma Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ATYR traded down $0.01 on Wednesday, reaching $0.48. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 156,106 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,057,393. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $0.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $0.71. aTyr Pharma has a 52-week low of $0.40 and a 52-week high of $6.50. The company has a market cap of $47.55 million, a P/E ratio of -0.66 and a beta of 0.52.

aTyr Pharma (NASDAQ:ATYR) last announced its earnings results on Friday, May 15th. The company reported ($0.11) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.16) by $0.05. On average, equities research analysts forecast that aTyr Pharma will post -0.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Paul Schimmel purchased 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $0.50 per share, for a total transaction of $50,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 779,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $389,571.50. The trade was a 14.72% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 5.75% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of aTyr Pharma by 334.5% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,599,041 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,829,000 after buying an additional 1,231,052 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of aTyr Pharma by 46.0% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 382,317 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,155,000 after purchasing an additional 120,496 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning acquired a new stake in aTyr Pharma in the second quarter worth about $74,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. acquired a new stake in aTyr Pharma in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $208,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in shares of aTyr Pharma during the second quarter worth $49,000. 61.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About aTyr Pharma

aTyr Pharma, Inc is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of novel protein-based therapies that modulate the extracellular matrix and immune pathways. Headquartered in San Diego, California, the company applies its proprietary Extracellular Modulation® platform to identify and optimize biologic candidates for the treatment of rare and serious diseases, including pulmonary sarcoidosis, muscular dystrophy, and solid tumors.

The company’s research efforts are centered on harnessing extracellular proteins to regulate tissue remodeling, cell adhesion, and immune signaling.