SG Americas Securities LLC Sells 485,163 Shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:AUPH)

SG Americas Securities LLC lowered its stake in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:AUPH - Free Report) TSE: AUP by 88.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 62,564 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 485,163 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals were worth $562,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter worth approximately $1,155,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its holdings in shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 10.0% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 52,747 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $301,000 after acquiring an additional 4,808 shares during the last quarter. Algert Global LLC raised its stake in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 106.8% in the 2nd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 193,804 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,107,000 after acquiring an additional 100,104 shares during the period. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter valued at $84,000. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its position in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals by 13.2% during the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 60,700 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $445,000 after purchasing an additional 7,100 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.83% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jeffrey Allen Bailey sold 4,557 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.43, for a total transaction of $38,415.51. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 13,356 shares in the company, valued at approximately $112,591.08. This represents a 25.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 4.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

AUPH stock traded up $0.20 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $8.01. 843,397 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,353,189. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. has a 12 month low of $4.71 and a 12 month high of $10.67. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $1.15 billion, a P/E ratio of -53.40 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $8.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $7.52.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $10.00.

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.