aTyr Pharma (NASDAQ:ATYR) Shares Down 6.3% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• aTyr Pharma shares fell by 6.3% to $5.26, with trading volume significantly down by 42% from the average.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on aTyr Pharma, with Wall Street Zen downgrading the stock to a "sell" while HC Wainwright maintains a "buy" rating with a price target of $35.00.
• The company reported a quarterly loss of ($0.22) earnings per share, missing analyst expectations, and has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $20.20.

Shares of aTyr Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATYR - Get Free Report) were down 6.3% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $5.35 and last traded at $5.26. Approximately 1,395,462 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 42% from the average daily volume of 2,389,525 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.61.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on ATYR shares. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of aTyr Pharma in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Wall Street Zen cut aTyr Pharma from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on aTyr Pharma from $17.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, June 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $21.25.

aTyr Pharma Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 5.63 and a current ratio of 5.63. The company has a 50-day moving average of $5.34 and a 200-day moving average of $4.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $480.15 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.12 and a beta of 0.94.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On aTyr Pharma

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ATYR. Group One Trading LLC acquired a new position in shares of aTyr Pharma in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. California State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new position in aTyr Pharma during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in aTyr Pharma during the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in aTyr Pharma during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in aTyr Pharma during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. 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.