Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) Announces Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.84 EPS

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The company reported ($0.85) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by ($0.84), FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of ($0.03) million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.49 million. Vir Biotechnology had a negative net margin of 638.88% and a negative return on equity of 49.31%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($0.88) earnings per share.

Here are the key takeaways from Vir Biotechnology’s conference call:

• Astellas collaboration closed and near-term funding secured — Vir received $75M equity and will receive $240M upfront (within 30 days) with global co-development/co-commercial terms (U.S. profit split 50/50; Vir pays 40% of global development costs), which management says reduces near-term spend and extends the cash runway into the second half of 2028.
• VIR-5500 Phase I data show a favorable safety profile (no observed grade 3 CRS at go-forward monotherapy dose, largely grade 1 CRS) and durable responses in heavily pretreated mCRPC patients, prompting dose-expansion cohorts and a targeted registrational Phase III start in 2027.
• The tobevibart + elebsiran HDV combination produced high viral-clearance rates (reported TND ~66% at 48 weeks and 88% at 96 weeks in subsets), was well tolerated, offers once-monthly subcutaneous dosing amenable to at-home administration, has multiple regulatory designations, and has ECLIPSE registrational studies on track with ECLIPSE 1 topline expected in Q4 2026.
• Financial and execution risks remain — Q1 net loss was $125.7M and operating spend remains high; reported cash of ~$809M (as of March 31) excludes the Astellas proceeds, and future progress depends on milestone payments, successful Phase III outcomes and continued capital discipline.

Vir Biotechnology Price Performance

Vir Biotechnology stock opened at $9.27 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.49 billion, a P/E ratio of -2.93 and a beta of 1.70. Vir Biotechnology has a one year low of $4.16 and a one year high of $11.66. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $9.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $7.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Backer Marianne De sold 72,559 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.16, for a total transaction of $664,640.44. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 948,145 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,685,008.20. This represents a 7.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, EVP Verneuil Vanina De sold 13,700 shares of Vir Biotechnology stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.82, for a total value of $134,534.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 112,982 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,109,483.24. The trade was a 10.81% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 257,816 shares of company stock valued at $2,377,698. 16.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vir Biotechnology

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 2,088.4% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 268,297 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,739,000 after purchasing an additional 256,037 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new stake in Vir Biotechnology in the 1st quarter worth approximately $359,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 43.6% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 742,674 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,813,000 after buying an additional 225,544 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP boosted its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 245.6% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 466,737 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,024,000 after buying an additional 331,701 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in Vir Biotechnology by 15.3% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 19,317 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,000 after acquiring an additional 2,566 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.32% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on VIR shares. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $18.00 target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. 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 increased their price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Vir Biotechnology from $26.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vir Biotechnology currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $20.38.

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.