Lazard Asset Management LLC Sells 106,820 Shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc $AUPH

Lazard Asset Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:AUPH) (TSE:AUP) by 43.7% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 137,355 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 106,820 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals were worth $2,036,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. purchased a new stake in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $48,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake 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. bought a new stake in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $82,000. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 25.9% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 6,407 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $102,000 after purchasing an additional 1,318 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.83% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Aurinia Pharmaceuticals presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $17.33.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

AUPH stock opened at $14.88 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 5.55 and a quick ratio of 5.01. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc has a 1-year low of $8.85 and a 1-year high of $19.25. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $15.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $15.34. The company has a market capitalization of $1.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.86 and a beta of 1.42.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 analysts’ expectations of $76.98 million. Research analysts anticipate that Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc will post 0.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Kevin Tang bought 343,620 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $15.28 per share, with a total value of $5,250,513.60. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 12,838,101 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $196,166,183.28. The trade was a 2.75% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders have acquired 814,606 shares of company stock worth $12,455,129 over the last three months. Company insiders own 10.40% of the company’s stock.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

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.