aTyr Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATYR) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

aTyr Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATYR) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 21,334,051 shares, a decline of 14.7% from the December 31st total of 25,013,857 shares. Currently, 22.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,505,427 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 14.2 days. Based on an average daily volume of 1,505,427 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 14.2 days. Currently, 22.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in aTyr Pharma by 126.1% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,098,076 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,639,000 after acquiring an additional 1,170,276 shares in the last quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc acquired a new stake in shares of aTyr Pharma in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,195,000. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of aTyr Pharma during the second quarter worth $1,068,000. North Star Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in aTyr Pharma in the second quarter valued at $85,000. Finally, Profund Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in aTyr Pharma in the third quarter valued at $27,000. 61.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

aTyr Pharma Stock Up 1.3%

ATYR traded up $0.01 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $0.97. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 410,809 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,292,065. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $0.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $2.09. The company has a market cap of $95.34 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.16 and a beta of 0.59. aTyr Pharma has a 1 year low of $0.64 and a 1 year high of $7.29.

aTyr Pharma (NASDAQ:ATYR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.20) by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $0.19 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $0.91 million. As a group, equities analysts forecast that aTyr Pharma will post -0.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of aTyr Pharma in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $23.25.

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.