Ritholtz Wealth Management Acquires 174,301 Shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc $AUPH

Key Points

• Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its Aurinia stake by 206.2% in Q4, buying 174,301 shares to own 258,816 shares (about 0.20% of the company) valued at roughly $4.13 million.
• Insider buying: Director Kevin Tang purchased 516,439 shares at an average $13.99 (~$7.22 million), boosting his holdings to 11,845,939 shares and raising insider ownership to 12.20%.
• Strong quarter but mixed sentiment: Aurinia beat estimates with $1.53 EPS (vs. $0.21) and $77.1M revenue, yet analysts hold a consensus "Hold" rating with a $17.25 price target and the stock trades at a PE of about 7.6.

Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its holdings in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:AUPH - Free Report) TSE: AUP by 206.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 258,816 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after buying an additional 174,301 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management owned about 0.20% of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals worth $4,128,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. bought a new position in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth approximately $48,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new position in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth approximately $91,000. USA Financial Formulas bought a new position in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth approximately $107,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 32.4% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 13,034 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $110,000 after buying an additional 3,191 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth approximately $136,000. Institutional investors own 36.83% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Aurinia Pharmaceuticals presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $17.25.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of AUPH stock opened at $15.76 on Friday. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $14.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $14.43. The company has a market cap of $2.10 billion, a PE ratio of 7.58 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a current ratio of 5.25, a quick ratio of 4.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc has a 12-month low of $7.28 and a 12-month high of $16.54.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AUPH - Get Free Report) TSE: AUP last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.21 by $1.32. The business had revenue of $77.11 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $74.70 million. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 27.47% and a net margin of 101.46%. Analysts expect that Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc will post 0.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Aurinia Pharmaceuticals news, Director Kevin Tang purchased 516,439 shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $13.99 per share, with a total value of $7,224,981.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,845,939 shares in the company, valued at approximately $165,724,686.61. This trade represents a 4.56% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 12.20% of the company's stock.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals 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.

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