Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $33.57.

A number of research analysts have commented on VIR shares. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $110.00 price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Vir Biotechnology from $10.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $15.00 target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Friday, May 3rd.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VIR opened at $9.54 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $9.73 and a 200-day moving average of $9.64. Vir Biotechnology has a twelve month low of $7.61 and a twelve month high of $27.48. The firm has a market cap of $1.28 billion, a PE ratio of -2.38 and a beta of 0.47.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The company reported ($0.48) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.99) by $0.51. Vir Biotechnology had a negative net margin of 677.69% and a negative return on equity of 32.58%. The company had revenue of $56.38 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.71 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($1.06) earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Vir Biotechnology will post -4.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Vir Biotechnology

In related news, Director George A. Scangos sold 17,722 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.65, for a total value of $206,461.30. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 112,989 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,316,321.85. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Vir Biotechnology news, EVP Ann M. Hanly sold 12,296 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.05, for a total value of $123,574.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 134,780 shares in the company, valued at $1,354,539. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director George A. Scangos sold 17,722 shares of Vir Biotechnology stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.65, for a total value of $206,461.30. Following the transaction, the director now owns 112,989 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,316,321.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 152,831 shares of company stock worth $1,525,844. 15.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vir Biotechnology

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of VIR. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 249.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,708 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 1,934 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 274.5% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,970 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 2,177 shares in the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 96.4% during the third quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 3,448 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,692 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in Vir Biotechnology by 258.5% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,327 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 2,399 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 69.3% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,941 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 1,613 shares during the period. 65.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vir Biotechnology Company Profile

Vir Biotechnology, Inc, a commercial-stage immunology company, develops therapeutic products to treat and prevent serious infectious diseases. It offers tobevibart + elebsiran for the treatment of chronic hepatitis delta; elebsiran + PEG-IFN-a, tobevibart ± elebsiran ± PEG-IFN-a, and elebsiran+ TLR8+PD-1 for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B; VIR-1388 and Cure mAb combination for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus; VIR-8190 for the treatment of respiratory syncytial virus / human metapneumovirus; VIR-2981 for the treatment of influenza; VIR-1949 for the treatment of pre-cancerous HPV lesions; and VIR07229 and Sotrovimab for the treatment of COVID-19 infection under the Xevudy brand.