aTyr Pharma (NASDAQ:ATYR) Director Buys $50,000.00 in Stock

aTyr Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATYR) Director Paul Schimmel acquired 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $0.50 per share, with a total value of $50,000.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 779,143 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $389,571.50. This trade represents a 14.72% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

aTyr Pharma Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ATYR traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $0.49. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 7,456,445 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,015,939. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $0.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $0.79. aTyr Pharma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $0.40 and a 52 week high of $7.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.79 million, a PE ratio of -0.67 and a beta of 0.66.

aTyr Pharma (NASDAQ:ATYR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 15th. The company reported ($0.11) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.16) by $0.05. Analysts anticipate that aTyr Pharma, Inc. will post -0.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On aTyr Pharma

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ATYR. Profund Advisors LLC purchased a new position in aTyr Pharma during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. California State Teachers Retirement System purchased a new position in aTyr Pharma during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new position in aTyr Pharma during the 1st quarter worth $32,000. ADAR1 Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of aTyr Pharma by 35.9% in the 4th quarter. ADAR1 Capital Management LLC now owns 50,685 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 13,385 shares during the period. Finally, Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of aTyr Pharma in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. 61.72% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on ATYR shares. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of aTyr Pharma in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded aTyr Pharma from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, May 17th. Freedom Capital upgraded aTyr Pharma from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of aTyr Pharma in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $25.67.

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.