Insider Buying: aTyr Pharma (NASDAQ:ATYR) Director Buys 100,000 Shares of Stock

aTyr Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATYR) Director Paul Schimmel bought 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $0.50 per share, for a total transaction of $50,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 779,143 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $389,571.50. This represents a 14.72% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

aTyr Pharma Trading Up 1.9%

aTyr Pharma stock traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $0.49. The company had a trading volume of 7,456,445 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,015,939. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $0.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $0.79. aTyr Pharma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $0.40 and a 12 month high of $7.29. The company has a market capitalization of $47.79 million, a PE ratio of -0.67 and a beta of 0.66.

aTyr Pharma (NASDAQ:ATYR) last released its 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. Equities research analysts anticipate that aTyr Pharma, Inc. will post -0.66 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ATYR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of aTyr Pharma in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded aTyr Pharma from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, May 17th. Freedom Capital upgraded aTyr Pharma from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of aTyr Pharma in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, aTyr Pharma currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $25.67.

Institutional Trading of aTyr Pharma

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. California State Teachers Retirement System purchased a new stake in aTyr Pharma during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC increased its position in aTyr Pharma by 7.0% in the second quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 143,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $728,000 after buying an additional 9,350 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in aTyr Pharma in the second quarter worth about $49,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its position in aTyr Pharma by 79.3% in the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 24,839 shares of the company’s stock worth $126,000 after buying an additional 10,989 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in aTyr Pharma in the second quarter worth about $63,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.72% of the company’s stock.

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.