Short Interest in aTyr Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATYR) Drops By 14.7%

aTyr Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATYR) saw a large decrease in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 21,334,051 shares, a decrease of 14.7% from the December 31st total of 25,013,857 shares. Approximately 22.6% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,505,427 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 14.2 days. Based on an average daily volume of 1,505,427 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 14.2 days. Approximately 22.6% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. California State Teachers Retirement System bought a new position in aTyr Pharma in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. bought a new stake in aTyr Pharma in the second quarter worth $45,000. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in shares of aTyr Pharma by 7.0% in the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 143,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $728,000 after acquiring an additional 9,350 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in aTyr Pharma in the second quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in aTyr Pharma by 79.3% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 24,839 shares of the company’s stock valued at $126,000 after acquiring an additional 10,989 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 61.72% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, aTyr Pharma currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $23.25.

aTyr Pharma Trading Up 3.8%

ATYR stock opened at $0.88 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $0.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $2.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $86.51 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.06 and a beta of 0.59. aTyr Pharma has a 12-month low of $0.64 and a 12-month high of $7.29.

aTyr Pharma (NASDAQ:ATYR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported ($0.26) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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. Equities analysts predict that aTyr Pharma will post -0.91 EPS for the current year.

aTyr Pharma Company Profile

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.