Erste Asset Management GmbH Purchases Shares of 600,000 aTyr Pharma, Inc. $ATYR

Key Points

• Erste Asset Management GmbH invested approximately $1.81 million in aTyr Pharma, Inc., acquiring 600,000 shares, representing about 0.67% ownership.
• Several institutional investors, including Wellington Management and GSA Capital Partners, have also increased their stakes in aTyr Pharma, collectively owning 61.72% of the company.
• Analyst ratings for aTyr Pharma are mixed, with Wells Fargo increasing their price target to $25.00, while others, like Wall Street Zen, downgraded the stock to a "sell" rating.

Erste Asset Management GmbH bought a new stake in aTyr Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATYR - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 600,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,812,000. Erste Asset Management GmbH owned 0.67% of aTyr Pharma at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ATYR. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of aTyr Pharma during the fourth quarter worth about $17,677,000. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new position in aTyr Pharma during the fourth quarter worth about $6,092,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. purchased a new position in shares of aTyr Pharma in the 4th quarter worth about $4,628,000. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. bought a new stake in shares of aTyr Pharma in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,620,000. Finally, Octagon Capital Advisors LP bought a new position in aTyr Pharma during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,258,000. 61.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

aTyr Pharma Trading Up 0.6%

ATYR traded up $0.03 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $5.17. 1,197,558 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,492,925. aTyr Pharma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $1.67 and a 12 month high of $7.29. The company has a quick ratio of 5.63, a current ratio of 5.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The stock's 50-day moving average is $5.29 and its 200 day moving average is $4.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $506.80 million, a PE ratio of -6.52 and a beta of 0.94.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Wall Street Zen cut aTyr Pharma from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $35.00 price target on shares of aTyr Pharma in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of aTyr Pharma from $17.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, June 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and five have issued a Buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, aTyr Pharma has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $23.25.

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.