Insider Buying: Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AUPH) CEO Acquires $5,250,513.60 in Stock

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:AUPH) (TSE:AUP) CEO Kevin Tang purchased 343,620 shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $15.28 per share, for a total transaction of $5,250,513.60. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 12,838,101 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $196,166,183.28. This represents a 2.75% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Kevin Tang also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, June 2nd, Kevin Tang acquired 206,005 shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals stock. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $15.28 per share, for a total transaction of $3,147,756.40.
• On Friday, May 29th, Kevin Tang acquired 264,981 shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals stock. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $15.31 per share, for a total transaction of $4,056,859.11.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of AUPH opened at $16.37 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 5.01 and a current ratio of 5.55. The company has a market capitalization of $2.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.54 and a beta of 1.41. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $15.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $15.26. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc has a 1 year low of $7.28 and a 1 year high of $16.88.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AUPH) (TSE:AUP) last announced 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. The business had revenue of $77.71 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $76.98 million. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 99.97% and a return on equity of 26.62%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc will post 0.82 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $17.25.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aurinia Pharmaceuticals

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position 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. MML Investors Services LLC grew its position in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 12.7% during the fourth quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 15,643 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $250,000 after purchasing an additional 1,765 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 15.5% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 14,065 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $208,000 after purchasing an additional 1,883 shares in the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 7.8% in the fourth quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 30,270 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $483,000 after acquiring an additional 2,200 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.83% of the company’s stock.

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.