aTyr Pharma (NASDAQ:ATYR) Sets New 12-Month Low Following Analyst Downgrade

Key Points

• aTyr Pharma's stock reached a new 52-week low of $1.00 after HC Wainwright downgraded it from a buy rating to a neutral rating.
• Multiple analysts, including Cantor Fitzgerald and Wall Street Zen, have recently downgraded the stock, with current ratings reflecting a shift towards caution among analysts.
• Despite being down 83.3% recently, institutional investors own 61.72% of the company, indicating ongoing interest from larger financial entities.

aTyr Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATYR - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low on Monday after Jones Trading downgraded the stock from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating. The company traded as low as $1.00 and last traded at $1.01, with a volume of 153796609 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $6.03.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On aTyr Pharma

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ATYR. Northern Trust Corp purchased a new stake in aTyr Pharma in the fourth quarter worth approximately $661,000. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of aTyr Pharma during the 4th quarter worth $720,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in shares of aTyr Pharma during the 4th quarter worth $330,000. Group One Trading LLC purchased a new position in shares of aTyr Pharma during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of aTyr Pharma during the 4th quarter worth $1,332,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.72% of the company's stock.

aTyr Pharma Stock Down 5.5%

The company's 50 day moving average price is $4.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $4.29. The firm has a market cap of $97.22 million, a PE ratio of -1.24 and a beta of 1.01. 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 (NASDAQ:ATYR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported ($0.22) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.18) by ($0.04). On average, equities research analysts expect that aTyr Pharma, Inc. will post -0.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.