aTyr Pharma (NASDAQ:ATYR) Downgraded by Leerink Partnrs to Hold

Key Points

• aTyr Pharma has been downgraded by Leerink Partners from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating, reflecting a more cautious outlook from analysts.
• The stock currently holds a consensus rating of "Hold" with a consensus price target of $23.25, despite other firms like Jefferies maintaining a "buy" rating and raising the target price significantly.
• As of the latest earnings report, aTyr Pharma missed analysts' consensus EPS estimates, reporting ($0.22), indicating ongoing challenges in achieving profitability.

aTyr Pharma (NASDAQ:ATYR - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Leerink Partnrs from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald cut aTyr Pharma from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday. Leerink Partners reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of aTyr Pharma in a report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on aTyr Pharma from $9.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "equal weight" rating on shares of aTyr Pharma in a report on Monday. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut aTyr Pharma from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $23.25.

aTyr Pharma Stock Performance

ATYR opened at $1.01 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $98.97 million, a P/E ratio of -1.26 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 5.63 and a quick ratio of 5.63. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $5.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $4.37. aTyr Pharma has a 1-year low of $1.00 and a 1-year high of $7.29.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Octagon Capital Advisors LP raised its position in aTyr Pharma by 294.7% in the first quarter. Octagon Capital Advisors LP now owns 3,552,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,727,000 after purchasing an additional 2,652,000 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new stake in shares of aTyr Pharma during the first quarter valued at about $1,812,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of aTyr Pharma during the fourth quarter worth about $330,000. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of aTyr Pharma during the fourth quarter worth about $720,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of aTyr Pharma during the fourth quarter worth about $1,332,000. 61.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

aTyr Pharma Company Profile

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.

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