Lazard Asset Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:AUPH)

Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:AUPH – Get Rating) (TSE:AUP) by 69.3% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 8,971 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,671 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals were worth $67,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bellevue Group AG purchased a new stake in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,784,000. State Street Corp grew its stake in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 355.5% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,387,862 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $23,998,000 after acquiring an additional 1,863,594 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. grew its stake in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,827,416 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $22,624,000 after acquiring an additional 6,677 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 262.7% in the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,694,200 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $20,974,000 after acquiring an additional 1,227,129 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 897.3% in the 2nd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,019,317 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $10,244,000 after acquiring an additional 917,113 shares during the period. 40.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Aurinia Pharmaceuticals news, Director George M. Milne, Jr. purchased 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $8.91 per share, with a total value of $178,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 70,000 shares in the company, valued at $623,700. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Aurinia Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Stephen P. Robertson sold 19,402 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.94, for a total value of $173,453.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 303,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,712,074.16. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director George M. Milne, Jr. acquired 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $8.91 per share, for a total transaction of $178,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 70,000 shares in the company, valued at $623,700. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 63,448 shares of company stock valued at $567,225. Company insiders own 3.70% of the company’s stock.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ AUPH opened at $9.17 on Tuesday. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. has a 52-week low of $4.07 and a 52-week high of $13.41. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $7.98 and a 200-day moving average of $6.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.31 billion, a PE ratio of -12.07 and a beta of 1.16.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AUPH – Get Rating) (TSE:AUP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 28th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.18) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.08. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 80.71% and a negative return on equity of 25.44%. The firm had revenue of $28.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.82 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($0.25) EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 21.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. will post -0.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $11.00 target price on shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, February 23rd. HC Wainwright lowered their price objective on shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals from $26.00 to $14.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $12.50.

About Aurinia Pharmaceuticals

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Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc, a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing and commercializing therapies to treat various diseases with unmet medical need in the United States and internationally. The company offers LUPKYNIS for the treatment of adult patients with active lupus nephritis.