Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:AUPH) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:AUPH) (TSE:AUP) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the seven brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $17.25.

A number of equities analysts have commented on AUPH shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded Aurinia Pharmaceuticals from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Zacks Research upgraded Aurinia Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 0.3%

NASDAQ AUPH opened at $15.98 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 5.01 and a current ratio of 5.55. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals has a one year low of $8.55 and a one year high of $19.25. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $16.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $15.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.06 billion, a PE ratio of 7.36 and a beta of 1.41.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AUPH) (TSE:AUP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The biotechnology company reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.07. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 99.97% and a return on equity of 26.62%. The firm had revenue of $77.71 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $76.98 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that Aurinia Pharmaceuticals will post 0.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Kevin Tang acquired 343,620 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $15.28 per share, for a total transaction of $5,250,513.60. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 12,838,101 shares in the company, valued at $196,166,183.28. This represents a 2.75% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In the last ninety days, insiders acquired 814,606 shares of company stock worth $12,455,129. 12.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aurinia Pharmaceuticals

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AUPH. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in the 4th 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 boosted 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 worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 2,793 shares during the period. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $82,000. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. grew its stake in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 1,008.1% in the first quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 6,815 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $101,000 after purchasing an additional 6,200 shares in the last quarter. 36.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.