Franklin Resources Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:AUPH)

Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:AUPH - Free Report) TSE: AUP by 358.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 92,921 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after buying an additional 72,668 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 0.06% of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals worth $834,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 3,041.4% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 6,377 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 6,174 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 44.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 12,673 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $93,000 after buying an additional 3,919 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at about $96,000. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $108,000. 36.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Aurinia Pharmaceuticals

In other news, insider Greg Keenan sold 12,239 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.00, for a total value of $97,912.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 161,789 shares in the company, valued at $1,294,312. This trade represents a 7.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, COO Matthew Maxwell Donley sold 65,902 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.00, for a total value of $527,216.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 739,456 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,915,648. The trade was a 8.18 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 343,898 shares of company stock valued at $2,753,094 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 4.30% of the company's stock.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

AUPH stock traded up $0.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $7.76. 929,141 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,350,101. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 5.60 and a quick ratio of 5.11. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. has a 12-month low of $4.77 and a 12-month high of $10.67. The stock's 50 day moving average is $7.99 and its 200 day moving average is $8.12. The company has a market cap of $1.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -51.74 and a beta of 1.20.

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.