65,576 Shares in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc $AUPH Purchased by Centaurus Financial Inc.

Key Points

• Centaurus Financial acquired 65,576 Aurinia Pharmaceuticals shares in the second quarter, worth approximately $1.11 million. Several other institutional investors also increased their positions, with institutions collectively owning 36.83% of the stock.
• Aurinia reported quarterly EPS of $0.28, exceeding the $0.24 consensus estimate, although revenue of $58.57 million fell short of the $80.45 million forecast. The company has a market capitalization of roughly $2.19 billion and trades near $16.48.
• CEO Kevin Tang purchased 343,620 shares for approximately $5.25 million, increasing his stake by 2.75%. Analysts maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $17.67.

Centaurus Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:AUPH - Free Report) TSE: AUP in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 65,576 shares of the biotechnology company's stock, valued at approximately $1,113,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter valued at approximately $139,037,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 213.5% in the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,374,021 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $37,283,000 after purchasing an additional 2,297,903 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 1,272.5% during the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,483,132 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $16,389,000 after purchasing an additional 1,375,072 shares during the last quarter. Kotler Kevin purchased a new stake in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth about $19,536,000. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its stake in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 728.6% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 1,341,067 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $14,819,000 after acquiring an additional 1,179,219 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 36.83% of the company's stock.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 0.4%

AUPH opened at $16.48 on Friday. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc has a 12 month low of $10.34 and a 12 month high of $19.25. The company has a market cap of $2.19 billion, a PE ratio of 7.20 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a current ratio of 5.42, a quick ratio of 4.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a 50 day moving average of $15.98 and a 200 day moving average of $15.49.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AUPH - Get Free Report) TSE: AUP last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The biotechnology company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.04. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 26.11% and a net margin of 100.84%.The firm had revenue of $58.57 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $80.45 million. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc will post 0.79 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Kevin Tang purchased 343,620 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $15.28 per share, for a total transaction of $5,250,513.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 12,838,101 shares in the company, valued at approximately $196,166,183.28. This represents a 2.75% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 10.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on AUPH shares. Bloom Burton raised shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Zacks Research downgraded Aurinia Pharmaceuticals from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Wall Street Zen lowered Aurinia Pharmaceuticals from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Aurinia Pharmaceuticals from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $17.67.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc is a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapies for autoimmune diseases. The company's proprietary molecule, voclosporin, is designed to selectively inhibit calcineurin and reduce inflammation associated with autoimmune responses. Aurinia operates research and development facilities in Canada and the United States, leveraging collaborations with academic institutions and contract research organizations to advance its clinical pipeline.

The company's lead product, voclosporin (marketed as LUPKYNIS), received approval from the U.S.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source