Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:AUPH) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:AUPH) (TSE:AUP) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 10,180,000 shares, a growth of 10.5% from the May 31st total of 9,210,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,280,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 8.0 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

AUPH traded up $0.04 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $5.47. 388,351 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,825,077. The company has a market cap of $780.35 million, a PE ratio of -12.72 and a beta of 1.44. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $5.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $6.24. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals has a 1 year low of $4.71 and a 1 year high of $12.43. 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 (NASDAQ:AUPH) (TSE:AUP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The biotechnology company reported ($0.03) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.17) by $0.14. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 32.69% and a negative return on equity of 15.06%. The business had revenue of $50.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $46.30 million. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Aurinia Pharmaceuticals will post 0.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aurinia Pharmaceuticals

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Tidemark LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Eagle Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth about $92,000. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter worth about $78,000. Finally, China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 352.3% during the 4th quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 16,613 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $149,000 after purchasing an additional 12,940 shares during the period. 36.83% of the stock is 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.