aTyr Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATYR) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

aTyr Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATYR) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the eight research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $21.00.

ATYR has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of aTyr Pharma from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, May 17th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of aTyr Pharma in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of aTyr Pharma in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Freedom Capital upgraded shares of aTyr Pharma from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th.

aTyr Pharma Price Performance

NASDAQ ATYR opened at $0.47 on Monday. aTyr Pharma has a 52 week low of $0.40 and a 52 week high of $7.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.08 million, a PE ratio of -0.64 and a beta of 0.55. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $0.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $0.78.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Paul Schimmel purchased 100,000 shares of aTyr Pharma stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $0.50 per share, with a total value of $50,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 5.75% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On aTyr Pharma

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ATYR. UBS Group AG lifted its position in aTyr Pharma by 158.1% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 4,505,955 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,249,000 after acquiring an additional 2,760,238 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP lifted its position in aTyr Pharma by 272.2% in the fourth quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 2,630,638 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,060,000 after acquiring an additional 1,923,907 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in aTyr Pharma by 334.5% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,599,041 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,829,000 after acquiring an additional 1,231,052 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in aTyr Pharma by 21.0% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,630,935 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,060,000 after acquiring an additional 975,887 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in aTyr Pharma during the 4th quarter worth $603,000. 61.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

aTyr Pharma Company Profile

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.