Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AUPH) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Strong-Buy Rating

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AUPH) (TSE:AUP) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of AUPH stock opened at $8.29 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $8.09 and its 200 day moving average is $8.03. The company has a quick ratio of 5.11, a current ratio of 5.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock has a market cap of $1.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -55.26 and a beta of 1.26. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals has a twelve month low of $4.71 and a twelve month high of $10.67.

Insider Activity at Aurinia Pharmaceuticals

In other news, insider Greg Keenan sold 8,305 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.23, for a total transaction of $68,350.15. Following the sale, the insider now owns 153,484 shares in the company, valued at $1,263,173.32. This represents a 5.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Joseph M. Miller sold 61,859 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.00, for a total transaction of $494,872.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 633,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,068,120. This trade represents a 8.90 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 343,898 shares of company stock valued at $2,753,094 in the last three months. Company insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aurinia Pharmaceuticals

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Tang Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 16.6% in the fourth quarter. Tang Capital Management LLC now owns 8,429,500 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $75,697,000 after acquiring an additional 1,200,000 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,945,060 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $21,587,000 after buying an additional 64,949 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,729,948 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $15,535,000 after buying an additional 112,113 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 1,492,301 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $13,401,000 after buying an additional 138,054 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new stake in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth $9,662,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.83% of the company’s stock.

About Aurinia Pharmaceuticals

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc, a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing and commercializing therapies to treat various diseases with unmet medical need in the United States. It offers LUPKYNIS for the treatment of adult patients with active lupus nephritis. It has a collaboration and license agreement with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co, Ltd.