Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Wednesday,Zacks reports.

VIR has been the topic of several other reports. Morgan Stanley set a $25.00 price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Wall Street Zen raised Vir Biotechnology from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Monday, September 28th. HC Wainwright upped their price objective on Vir Biotechnology from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $22.14.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ VIR opened at $12.21 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $11.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $9.61. Vir Biotechnology has a fifty-two week low of $4.82 and a fifty-two week high of $12.45. The company has a market cap of $2.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.69 and a beta of 1.70.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The company reported ($0.57) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.75) by $0.18. The company had revenue of ($0.19) million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $0.98 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($1.17) EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 178.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Vir Biotechnology will post -1.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Vir Biotechnology

In other Vir Biotechnology news, EVP Vanina de Verneuil sold 2,407 shares of Vir Biotechnology stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.10, for a total transaction of $26,717.70. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 110,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,223,142.30. The trade was a 2.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available 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. 2.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vir Biotechnology

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. ADAR1 Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Vir Biotechnology during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,034,000. Parkman Healthcare Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Vir Biotechnology during the 2nd quarter worth about $4,843,000. ARCH Venture Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology in the second quarter valued at approximately $129,353,521. Candriam S.C.A. lifted its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 10.1% in the first quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 1,135,763 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,176,000 after purchasing an additional 104,100 shares during the period. Finally, BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Vir Biotechnology during the second quarter worth approximately $210,712,000. 65.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Vir Biotechnology

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment improved: Needham raised its price target to $20 from $18 and maintained a Buy rating. Zacks Research also upgraded VIR from Strong Sell to Hold, reducing a bearish signal. Needham rating Zacks rating
• Positive Sentiment: Key clinical catalyst ahead: Vir plans to present topline Phase 3 ECLIPSE 1 results for elebsiran and tobevibart in chronic hepatitis delta at AASLD’s 2026 liver meeting. Positive data could be a meaningful catalyst, though the outcome is uncertain. AASLD data presentation
• Positive Sentiment: Cash runway extends into the second half of 2028, giving the company additional time to advance its pipeline and reach development milestones. Cash runway update
• Neutral Sentiment: Q3 loss beat expectations: Vir reported a loss of $0.57 per share, narrower than analysts’ expected loss of about $0.75–$0.80 and the $1.17 loss a year earlier. Q3 results
• Neutral Sentiment: An executive sold a small number of shares under a pre-arranged plan to cover tax withholding on vested equity awards; the stated purpose makes this less indicative of a change in outlook. SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed sharply: Q3 revenue was negative $0.19 million versus analysts’ estimate of $0.98 million, and was down 178.3% year over year, tempering the earnings beat. Revenue results

About Vir Biotechnology

Vir Biotechnology, Inc is a clinical-stage immunology company focused on developing medicines to prevent and treat serious infectious diseases and other immune-related conditions. The company uses antibody engineering, immunologic approaches and other technologies to identify and advance therapies designed to harness or modify the immune system.

Vir’s research and development programs have included treatments and vaccines for hepatitis B, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), influenza and other infectious diseases.