Short Interest in Athira Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATHA) Grows By 8.9%

Athira Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATHA) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of June. As of June 30th, there was short interest totalling 1,100,000 shares, an increase of 8.9% from the June 15th total of 1,010,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 157,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 7.0 days. Approximately 3.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Athira Pharma Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ATHA opened at $3.40 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $2.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $2.78. The company has a market cap of $130.32 million, a PE ratio of -1.11 and a beta of 2.90. Athira Pharma has a 12 month low of $1.33 and a 12 month high of $4.30.

Athira Pharma (NASDAQ:ATHA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 15th. The company reported ($0.69) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.80) by $0.11. On average, analysts anticipate that Athira Pharma will post -2.79 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $19.00 price objective on shares of Athira Pharma in a research note on Thursday, June 20th.

Insider Activity

In other Athira Pharma news, Director Kelly A. Romano bought 27,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 24th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $2.42 per share, for a total transaction of $66,308.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 80,715 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $195,330.30. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, Director Kelly A. Romano bought 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 21st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $2.26 per share, for a total transaction of $33,900.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 53,315 shares in the company, valued at $120,491.90. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Kelly A. Romano purchased 27,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 24th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $2.42 per share, with a total value of $66,308.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 80,715 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $195,330.30. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 19.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Athira Pharma

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Perceptive Advisors LLC increased its stake in Athira Pharma by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. Perceptive Advisors LLC now owns 5,402,964 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,129,000 after buying an additional 605,686 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Athira Pharma by 281.5% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 549,938 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,505,000 after acquiring an additional 405,793 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Athira Pharma by 84.1% in the first quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 497,475 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,363,000 after acquiring an additional 227,278 shares in the last quarter. Mirador Capital Partners LP purchased a new position in Athira Pharma in the first quarter valued at about $57,000. Finally, Clarius Group LLC grew its stake in Athira Pharma by 35.8% during the 4th quarter. Clarius Group LLC now owns 53,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $130,000 after purchasing an additional 14,124 shares in the last quarter. 57.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Athira Pharma Company Profile

Athira Pharma, Inc, a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing small molecules to restore neuronal health and slow neurodegradation. Its lead product candidate is Fosgonimeton (ATH-1017), a small molecule designed to modulate the neurotrophic hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) system and its receptor, MET, for a healthy nervous system that is in LIFT-AD Phase 2/3 and ACT-AD Phase 2 clinical trials for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, as well as is in Phase 2 clinical trials to treat Parkinson's disease dementia and Dementia with Lewy bodies.