Atyr PHARMA INC (NASDAQ:ATYR) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Atyr PHARMA INC (NASDAQ:ATYR) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,920,000 shares, an increase of 34.6% from the November 30th total of 2,170,000 shares. Currently, 3.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 988,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.0 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on ATYR shares. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Atyr PHARMA in a research report on Friday, October 4th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $17.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Atyr PHARMA in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $9.00 target price on the stock. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and set a $35.00 price target on shares of Atyr PHARMA in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th.

Atyr PHARMA Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ATYR traded down $0.03 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $3.74. 1,046,593 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 603,420. The firm has a market capitalization of $313.94 million, a PE ratio of -3.98 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 5.41, a current ratio of 5.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The business has a fifty day moving average of $3.26. Atyr PHARMA has a 12 month low of $1.38 and a 12 month high of $3.98.

Atyr PHARMA (NASDAQ:ATYR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported ($0.23) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.22) by ($0.01). On average, analysts predict that Atyr PHARMA will post -0.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Atyr PHARMA

aTyr Pharma, Inc, a biotherapeutics company, engages in the discovery and development of medicines based on novel immunological pathways in the United States. Its lead therapeutic candidate is efzofitimod, a selective modulator of NRP2 that is in Phase III clinical trial for pulmonary sarcoidosis; and in Phase 1b/2a clinical trial for treatment of other interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), such as chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis and connective tissue disease related ILD.