Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) CEO Sells $140,681.86 in Stock

Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) CEO Backer Marianne De sold 14,762 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.53, for a total transaction of $140,681.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,020,704 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,727,309.12. This represents a 1.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Backer Marianne De also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, February 23rd, Backer Marianne De sold 19,039 shares of Vir Biotechnology stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.45, for a total transaction of $141,840.55.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Down 2.5%

VIR stock opened at $9.09 on Friday. Vir Biotechnology, Inc. has a 52-week low of $4.16 and a 52-week high of $10.94. The firm has a market cap of $1.27 billion, a P/E ratio of -2.88 and a beta of 1.69. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $7.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $6.08.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported ($0.31) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $64.07 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.91 million. Vir Biotechnology had a negative return on equity of 49.31% and a negative net margin of 638.88%.Vir Biotechnology’s revenue for the quarter was up 417.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.76) EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Vir Biotechnology, Inc. will post -3.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vir Biotechnology News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Vir Biotechnology this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Astellas agreed to a collaboration on Vir’s prostate?cancer asset (VIR?5500) that includes up?front and potential milestone payments totaling up to ~$1.7B, materially de?risking that program and improving commercialization prospects. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results surprised to the upside: EPS and roughly $64M revenue beat consensus, signaling stronger commercial traction and likely underpinning recent analyst optimism. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have raised targets and ratings following the results and deal flow (Needham moved its target to $18), supporting upside from fundamentals despite volatility. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management will present at TD Cowen and Leerink in early March — useful for additional color and Q&A but not an immediate earnings/cash catalyst. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Increased media/peer comparisons (head?to?head coverage) have raised visibility and trading volume; this can amplify moves but doesn’t change Vir’s underlying cashflow or pipeline. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Vir priced an underwritten offering of 17,647,058 shares at $8.50 (~$150M gross), which strengthens the balance sheet but is dilutive and increased near?term share supply — a clear short?term negative for the stock. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Market coverage singled out the discounted offering as the proximate cause of the post?rally pullback, triggering selling and higher volatility. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insider sales were disclosed last week (including CEO and other senior officers/directors), increasing visible supply and feeding negative sentiment alongside the offering. Individual filings and summaries are available in SEC/insider reports. Read More.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vir Biotechnology

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Vir Biotechnology in the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vir Biotechnology during the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 25.9% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 6,761 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,390 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 1,418.7% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 7,062 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 6,597 shares during the period. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. increased its position in Vir Biotechnology by 153.8% during the third quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 8,085 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 4,899 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.32% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and set a $15.00 target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Leerink Partners reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $20.00 price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Thursday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Vir Biotechnology from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Vir Biotechnology from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Vir Biotechnology currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $19.89.

About Vir Biotechnology

Vir Biotechnology, Inc is a clinical?stage immunology company dedicated to developing therapies that prevent and treat serious infectious diseases. The company leverages a suite of proprietary technology platforms—ranging from antibody isolation and screening tools to cell?based assays and bioinformatics—to identify and advance antiviral and antibacterial candidates. Its scientific approach centers on harnessing the human immune system through monoclonal antibodies and immunomodulatory agents.

The company’s pipeline includes product candidates targeting influenza A, COVID?19, HIV, hepatitis B, and tuberculosis.