Short Interest in aTyr Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATYR) Drops By 17.7%

aTyr Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATYR) was the target of a significant decline in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 25,013,857 shares, a decline of 17.7% from the December 15th total of 30,385,566 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,246,751 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 11.1 days. Currently, 26.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Currently, 26.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,246,751 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 11.1 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On aTyr Pharma

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 975,887 shares during the period. UBS Group AG lifted its stake in shares of aTyr Pharma by 158.1% in the 3rd 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 period. Octagon Capital Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of aTyr Pharma by 7.5% in the 2nd quarter. Octagon Capital Advisors LP now owns 3,820,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,367,000 after purchasing an additional 268,000 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of aTyr Pharma by 126.1% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,098,076 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,639,000 after purchasing an additional 1,170,276 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in aTyr Pharma by 22.0% in the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,890,921 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,364,000 after purchasing an additional 340,721 shares during the last quarter. 61.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

aTyr Pharma Stock Performance

NASDAQ ATYR opened at $0.71 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.23 million, a P/E ratio of -0.85 and a beta of 0.60. aTyr Pharma has a 52 week low of $0.64 and a 52 week high of $7.29. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $0.74 and a 200-day moving average of $2.42.

aTyr Pharma (NASDAQ:ATYR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.20) by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $0.19 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $0.91 million. Equities research analysts forecast that aTyr Pharma will post -0.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of aTyr Pharma in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, aTyr Pharma presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $23.25.

aTyr Pharma Company Profile

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.