Western Standard LLC Makes New $2.31 Million Investment in Arbutus Biopharma Corporation $ABUS

Western Standard LLC bought a new position in Arbutus Biopharma Corporation (NASDAQ:ABUS) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 507,853 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,306,000. Arbutus Biopharma comprises about 0.7% of Western Standard LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest position. Western Standard LLC owned about 0.26% of Arbutus Biopharma at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Oxford Asset Management LLP purchased a new position in Arbutus Biopharma in the second quarter worth about $38,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 3,911.1% in the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 15,844 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 15,449 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Arbutus Biopharma by 71.5% during the 2nd quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 18,255 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 7,610 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Arbutus Biopharma in the second quarter worth $61,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 220.1% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 20,760 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 14,275 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 43.79% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on ABUS shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Arbutus Biopharma from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Arbutus Biopharma in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Chardan Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $5.00 price target on shares of Arbutus Biopharma in a report on Friday, November 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $5.00.

Arbutus Biopharma Stock Up 2.2%

NASDAQ ABUS opened at $4.70 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $4.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $4.31. Arbutus Biopharma Corporation has a 52 week low of $2.70 and a 52 week high of $5.10. The firm has a market cap of $903.90 million, a PE ratio of -20.43 and a beta of 0.71.

Arbutus Biopharma Profile

Arbutus Biopharma Corporation is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing and advancing a cure for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The company’s pipeline features both direct-acting antivirals and host-targeting therapies designed to reduce viral load and restore immune function. Lead programs include an RNA interference (RNAi) candidate aimed at silencing viral gene expression and next-generation capsid assembly modulators that seek to inhibit viral replication at its core.

In addition to its antiviral portfolio, Arbutus leverages proprietary lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery technology to optimize the distribution and cellular uptake of nucleic acid therapeutics.