aTyr Pharma (NASDAQ:ATYR) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• aTyr Pharma was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from “sell” to “hold”, while the broader analyst consensus remains Hold with a target price of $17.00.
• The stock was trading down 6.4% at $0.54, near its 50-day average of $0.56 and well below its 200-day average of $0.74; the company’s market cap is about $53.38 million.
• aTyr Pharma recently reported a smaller-than-expected loss of ($0.11) EPS versus estimates of ($0.16), and insiders and institutions have shown some buying interest, including a director purchase of 100,000 shares.

aTyr Pharma (NASDAQ:ATYR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Sunday.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of aTyr Pharma from a "sell (d-)" rating to a "sell (e+)" rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of aTyr Pharma from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $17.00.

aTyr Pharma Stock Down 6.4%

NASDAQ ATYR traded down $0.04 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $0.54. The stock had a trading volume of 1,368,176 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,137,444. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $0.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $0.74. The company has a market cap of $53.38 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.75 and a beta of 0.52. aTyr Pharma has a 52-week low of $0.40 and a 52-week high of $7.29.

aTyr Pharma (NASDAQ:ATYR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, May 15th. The company reported ($0.11) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.16) by $0.05. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that aTyr Pharma will post -0.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Paul Schimmel acquired 100,000 shares of aTyr Pharma stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $0.50 per share, for a total transaction of $50,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 779,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at $389,571.50. The trade was a 14.72% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 5.75% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. California State Teachers Retirement System purchased a new position in aTyr Pharma during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC increased its stake 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 last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of aTyr Pharma during the 2nd quarter valued at about $49,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of aTyr Pharma by 79.3% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 24,839 shares of the company's stock worth $126,000 after acquiring an additional 10,989 shares during the period. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of aTyr Pharma in the second quarter worth approximately $63,000. 61.72% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

aTyr Pharma Company Profile

aTyr Pharma, Inc is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of novel protein-based therapies that modulate the extracellular matrix and immune pathways. Headquartered in San Diego, California, the company applies its proprietary Extracellular Modulation® platform to identify and optimize biologic candidates for the treatment of rare and serious diseases, including pulmonary sarcoidosis, muscular dystrophy, and solid tumors.

The company's research efforts are centered on harnessing extracellular proteins to regulate tissue remodeling, cell adhesion, and immune signaling.

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