LSV Asset Management Purchases New Shares in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc $AUPH

LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:AUPH) (TSE:AUP) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 656,847 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,477,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 21.7% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 533,290 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $5,893,000 after buying an additional 94,941 shares in the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL bought a new position in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth about $729,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 206.2% in the fourth quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 258,816 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $4,128,000 after acquiring an additional 174,301 shares during the last quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth about $926,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 69.6% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 136,224 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $2,173,000 after buying an additional 55,903 shares during the last quarter. 36.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Aurinia Pharmaceuticals

In related news, Director Kevin Tang acquired 516,439 shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of $13.99 per share, with a total value of $7,224,981.61. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 11,845,939 shares in the company, valued at $165,724,686.61. This represents a 4.56% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 12.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $15.22 on Tuesday. 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 Inc has a 52-week low of $7.28 and a 52-week high of $16.88. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $15.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $15.23. The firm has a market cap of $1.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.01 and a beta of 1.44.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Aurinia Pharmaceuticals has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $17.25.

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.