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

Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $35.67.

VIR has been the topic of several recent research reports. Leerink Partners lifted their price objective on Vir Biotechnology from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Vir Biotechnology from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $10.00 to $20.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $26.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $10.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $19.00 price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Thursday, February 27th.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Up 0.4 %

VIR opened at $6.70 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $8.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $8.35. The firm has a market cap of $918.86 million, a PE ratio of -1.71 and a beta of 1.17. Vir Biotechnology has a fifty-two week low of $6.40 and a fifty-two week high of $14.45.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported ($0.76) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.85) by $0.09. The company had revenue of $12.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.14 million. Vir Biotechnology had a negative return on equity of 36.71% and a negative net margin of 678.40%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Vir Biotechnology will post -3.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vir Biotechnology

In other news, EVP Verneuil Vanina De sold 7,373 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.14, for a total transaction of $67,389.22. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 79,460 shares in the company, valued at approximately $726,264.40. This trade represents a 8.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Vicki L. Sato sold 10,960 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.52, for a total value of $137,219.20. Following the sale, the director now owns 1,312,391 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,431,135.32. This represents a 0.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 30,859 shares of company stock valued at $326,458. Company insiders own 15.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 33.0% during the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 202,441 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,485,000 after purchasing an additional 50,199 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 13.6% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,134,276 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,496,000 after acquiring an additional 136,087 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in Vir Biotechnology by 10.4% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,625,533 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,135,000 after purchasing an additional 530,645 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 236,681 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,737,000 after purchasing an additional 1,288 shares during the last quarter. Finally, abrdn plc bought a new stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,666,000. Institutional investors own 65.32% of the company’s stock.

Vir Biotechnology Company Profile

Vir Biotechnology, Inc, an immunology company, develops therapeutic products to treat and prevent serious infectious diseases. Its clinical development pipeline consists of product candidates targeting hepatitis delta virus (HDV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The company’s preclinical candidates include those targeting influenza A and B, coronavirus disease 2019, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (MPV), and human papillomavirus (HPV).