Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AUPH) Stock Price Up 7.1% – Still a Buy?

Shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:AUPH) (TSE:AUP) shot up 7.1% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $8.55 and last traded at $8.65. 401,424 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 72% from the average session volume of 1,425,489 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.08.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Aurinia Pharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 8.8 %

The company has a market cap of $1.26 billion, a P/E ratio of -58.51 and a beta of 1.22. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $8.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $7.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 5.11 and a current ratio of 5.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Joseph M. Miller sold 61,859 shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.00, for a total transaction of $494,872.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 633,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,068,120. The trade was a 8.90 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Matthew Maxwell Donley sold 65,902 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.00, for a total value of $527,216.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 739,456 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,915,648. The trade was a 8.18 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 335,593 shares of company stock valued at $2,684,744 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aurinia Pharmaceuticals

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 2.3% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,945,060 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $21,587,000 after purchasing an additional 64,949 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 187.6% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 219,331 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,607,000 after acquiring an additional 143,072 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 3,041.4% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 6,377 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 6,174 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at $3,330,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 13.7% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 744,050 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $5,454,000 after purchasing an additional 89,940 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.83% of the company’s stock.

About Aurinia Pharmaceuticals

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. It offers LUPKYNIS for the treatment of adult patients with active lupus nephritis. It has a collaboration and license agreement with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co, Ltd.