aTyr Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATYR) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

aTyr Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATYRGet Free Report) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 8,277,406 shares, a drop of 42.9% from the June 30th total of 14,505,076 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,945,452 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.3 days. Currently, 9.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

aTyr Pharma Stock Performance

NASDAQ ATYR traded up $0.01 on Friday, hitting $0.49. 200,813 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,037,820. The business’s fifty day moving average is $0.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $0.71. aTyr Pharma has a 12 month low of $0.40 and a 12 month high of $6.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.04 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.65 and a beta of 0.52.

aTyr Pharma (NASDAQ:ATYRGet Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 15th. The company reported ($0.11) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.16) by $0.05. Analysts expect that aTyr Pharma will post -0.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on ATYR shares. Weiss Ratings raised aTyr Pharma from a “sell (e+)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Freedom Capital raised shares of aTyr Pharma from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded aTyr Pharma from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, July 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, aTyr Pharma has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $17.00.

Check Out Our Latest Report on aTyr Pharma

Insider Buying and Selling at aTyr Pharma

In other aTyr Pharma news, Director Paul Schimmel bought 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $0.50 per share, for a total transaction of $50,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 779,143 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $389,571.50. This trade represents a 14.72% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 5.75% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of aTyr Pharma

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ATYR. UBS Group AG lifted its position in aTyr Pharma by 158.1% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 4,505,955 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,249,000 after purchasing an additional 2,760,238 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP grew its position in aTyr Pharma by 272.2% in the fourth quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 2,630,638 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,060,000 after acquiring an additional 1,923,907 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in aTyr Pharma by 334.5% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,599,041 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,829,000 after acquiring an additional 1,231,052 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in aTyr Pharma by 21.0% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,630,935 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,060,000 after acquiring an additional 975,887 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in aTyr Pharma during the fourth quarter valued at about $603,000. Institutional investors own 61.72% of the company’s stock.

About aTyr Pharma

(Get Free Report)

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.

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