aTyr Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATYR) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

aTyr Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATYR) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 25,013,857 shares, a drop of 17.7% from the December 15th total of 30,385,566 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,246,751 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 11.1 days. Approximately 26.5% of the company’s shares are short sold. Approximately 26.5% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 2,246,751 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 11.1 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On aTyr Pharma

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. California State Teachers Retirement System bought a new position in aTyr Pharma in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of aTyr Pharma during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $45,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in shares of aTyr Pharma in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $49,000. Prudential Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of aTyr Pharma in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $63,000. Finally, Oxford Asset Management LLP purchased a new position in shares of aTyr Pharma in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $70,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 61.72% of the company’s stock.

aTyr Pharma Stock Performance

Shares of ATYR stock opened at $0.71 on Monday. aTyr Pharma has a fifty-two week low of $0.64 and a fifty-two week high of $7.29. The firm has a market cap of $69.44 million, a P/E ratio of -0.85 and a beta of 0.60. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $0.74 and its 200-day moving average price is $2.49.

aTyr Pharma (NASDAQ:ATYR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.20) by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $0.19 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $0.91 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that aTyr Pharma will post -0.91 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of aTyr Pharma in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $23.25.

About aTyr Pharma

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.