Lazard Asset Management LLC Grows Position in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:AUPH)

Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:AUPH - Free Report) TSE: AUP by 341.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 596,389 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after buying an additional 461,430 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned about 0.42% of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals worth $5,355,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new stake in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at $9,662,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 84.4% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 927,298 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $8,327,000 after acquiring an additional 424,482 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its stake in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 44.0% during the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 700,900 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $6,294,000 after acquiring an additional 214,200 shares in the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC boosted its stake in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 724.4% during the fourth quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 168,252 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $1,511,000 after acquiring an additional 147,843 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,729,948 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $15,535,000 after purchasing an additional 112,113 shares during the period. 36.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 0.2%

NASDAQ:AUPH traded down $0.02 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $8.29. 256,981 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,321,146. The company has a current ratio of 5.60, a quick ratio of 5.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The business's 50-day moving average price is $8.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $8.26. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. has a 1 year low of $5.11 and a 1 year high of $10.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.12 billion, a P/E ratio of -55.20 and a beta of 1.16.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AUPH - Get Free Report) TSE: AUP last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The biotechnology company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.08 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $62.47 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $61.06 million. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 4.41% and a negative net margin of 10.23%. Analysts predict that Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. will post 0.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Aurinia Pharmaceuticals

In other Aurinia Pharmaceuticals news, insider Greg Keenan sold 8,305 shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.23, for a total value of $68,350.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 153,484 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,263,173.32. The trade was a 5.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Matthew Maxwell Donley sold 65,902 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.00, for a total transaction of $527,216.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 739,456 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,915,648. The trade was a 8.18% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 343,898 shares of company stock valued at $2,753,094. 4.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th.

About Aurinia Pharmaceuticals

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc, a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing and commercializing therapies to treat various diseases with unmet medical need in the United States. It offers LUPKYNIS for the treatment of adult patients with active lupus nephritis. It has a collaboration and license agreement with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co, Ltd.