aTyr Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATYR) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Key Points

• aTyr Pharma experienced a notable increase in short interest, with a total of 25.6 million shares sold short as of July 31, marking a 25.6% increase from mid-July.
• The company reported an earnings per share of ($0.22) for the last quarter, which fell short of the consensus estimate of ($0.18) by ($0.04).
• Analysts maintain a consensus rating of "Buy" for aTyr Pharma, with target prices ranging from $21.25 to $35.00.

aTyr Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATYR - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totaling 25,600,000 shares, anincreaseof25.6% from the July 15th total of 20,380,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,840,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.7 days. Currently,26.8% of the company's stock are sold short. Currently,26.8% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 3,840,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.7 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on ATYR shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on aTyr Pharma from $9.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on aTyr Pharma from $17.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, June 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered aTyr Pharma from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and issued a $35.00 target price on shares of aTyr Pharma in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and five have assigned a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $23.25.

aTyr Pharma Stock Performance

ATYR traded down $0.02 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $5.14. 2,087,206 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,663,626. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $5.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $4.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $503.67 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.42 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 5.63, a quick ratio of 5.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. aTyr Pharma has a 1-year low of $1.67 and a 1-year high of $7.29.

aTyr Pharma (NASDAQ:ATYR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported ($0.22) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.18) by ($0.04). As a group, sell-side analysts predict that aTyr Pharma will post -0.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On aTyr Pharma

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. California State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new stake in shares of aTyr Pharma during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Group One Trading LLC acquired a new stake in shares of aTyr Pharma during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. XTX Topco Ltd grew its position in shares of aTyr Pharma by 74.9% during the 1st quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 19,556 shares of the company's stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 8,374 shares during the period. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of aTyr Pharma during the 2nd quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Main Street Financial Solutions LLC grew its position in shares of aTyr Pharma by 7.0% during the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 143,600 shares of the company's stock valued at $728,000 after acquiring an additional 9,350 shares during the period. 61.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About aTyr Pharma

aTyr Pharma, Inc engages in the discovery and development of medicines based on novel biological pathways. Its product pipeline includes ATYR1923, ATYR2810, NRP2 mAbs, and AARS-1, DARS-1. The company was founded by Paul Schimmel, Xiang-Lei Yang and Bruce Beutler on September 8, 2005 and is headquartered in San Diego, CA.