Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Invests $1.97 Million in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc $AUPH

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:AUPH) (TSE:AUP) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 123,486 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,970,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC owned about 0.09% of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Globeflex Capital L P purchased a new stake in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth $186,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 19.5% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,006,333 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $16,051,000 after acquiring an additional 164,306 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 48.5% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 625,684 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $9,980,000 after acquiring an additional 204,326 shares during the last quarter. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth $305,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 410.0% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 22,001 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $351,000 after acquiring an additional 17,687 shares during the last quarter. 36.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 0.8%

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $15.78 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 5.55 and a quick ratio of 5.01. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc has a one year low of $7.28 and a one year high of $16.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.03 billion, a PE ratio of 7.27 and a beta of 1.41. The business’s fifty day moving average is $15.68 and its 200 day moving average is $15.27.

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

Insider Activity at Aurinia Pharmaceuticals

In other Aurinia Pharmaceuticals news, CEO Kevin Tang acquired 206,005 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $15.28 per share, with a total value of $3,147,756.40. Following the completion of 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 represents a 1.60% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders acquired 814,606 shares of company stock worth $12,455,129 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 12.20% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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