Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AUPH) Stock Crosses Above Fifty Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:AUPH) (TSE:AUP) passed above its fifty day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of $15.56 and traded as high as $15.61. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals shares last traded at $15.15, with a volume of 1,223,136 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on AUPH shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $10.00 to $21.00 in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $15.00 price objective (up from $9.00) on shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Bloom Burton lowered Aurinia Pharmaceuticals from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Leerink Partnrs cut Aurinia Pharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $17.25.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 5.17 and a current ratio of 5.76. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $15.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $12.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.00 billion, a PE ratio of 27.05 and a beta of 1.46.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AUPH) (TSE:AUP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The biotechnology company reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16 by $0.07. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 25.19% and a net margin of 29.28%.The business had revenue of $73.47 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $67.70 million. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc will post 0.11 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at about $48,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new position in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at about $91,000. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new stake in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $107,000. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $92,000. Finally, Bailard Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $99,000. 36.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.