Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc $AUPH Shares Purchased by Ritholtz Wealth Management

Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its holdings in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:AUPH) (TSE:AUP) by 21.5% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 314,426 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 55,610 shares during the quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management’s holdings in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals were worth $4,660,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. purchased a new stake in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at about $48,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at about $82,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 25.9% in 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 buying an additional 1,318 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 32.4% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 13,034 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $110,000 after buying an additional 3,191 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.83% of the company’s stock.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of AUPH stock opened at $17.55 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $15.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $15.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.26 billion, a PE ratio of 8.09 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a quick ratio of 5.01, a current ratio of 5.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc has a 52 week low of $7.28 and a 52 week high of $19.25.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AUPH) (TSE:AUP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The biotechnology company reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $77.71 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $76.98 million. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 26.62% and a net margin of 99.97%. On average, research analysts predict that Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc will post 0.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Kevin Tang purchased 206,005 shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were bought at an average price of $15.28 per share, with a total value of $3,147,756.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 13,044,106 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $199,313,939.68. This trade represents a 1.60% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In the last quarter, insiders bought 814,606 shares of company stock worth $12,455,129. 12.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $17.25.

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.