Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AUPH) Reaches New 52-Week High – What’s Next?

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:AUPH) (TSE:AUP) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $16.54 and last traded at $16.4650, with a volume of 394697 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $16.06.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $17.25.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average of $14.71 and a 200 day moving average of $14.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 4.76 and a current ratio of 5.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.71 and a beta of 1.51.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AUPH) (TSE:AUP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21 by $1.32. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 27.47% and a net margin of 101.46%.The company had revenue of $77.11 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $74.70 million. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc will post 0.11 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Aurinia Pharmaceuticals

In other news, Director Kevin Tang purchased 516,439 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of $13.99 per share, for a total transaction of $7,224,981.61. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 11,845,939 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $165,724,686.61. The trade was a 4.56% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 12.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aurinia Pharmaceuticals

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. acquired a new stake in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at $48,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth about $82,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 25.9% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 6,407 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $102,000 after acquiring an additional 1,318 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new position in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth about $91,000. 36.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.