Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) Shares Gap Down on Insider Selling

Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) shares gapped down before the market opened on Thursday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock had previously closed at $10.00, but opened at $8.91. Vir Biotechnology shares last traded at $9.06, with a volume of 7,774,340 shares changing hands.

Specifically, CEO Backer Marianne De sold 14,762 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.53, for a total transaction of $140,681.86. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,020,704 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,727,309.12. The trade was a 1.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Verneuil Vanina De sold 13,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $1,109,483.24. The trade was a 10.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In other Vir Biotechnology news, EVP Verneuil Vanina De sold 3,117 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.53, for a total transaction of $29,705.01. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 126,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,207,279.46. This trade represents a 2.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on VIR. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Vir Biotechnology from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $15.00 price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Leerink Partners restated an “outperform” rating and set a $20.00 price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Vir Biotechnology from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $19.89.

More Vir Biotechnology News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Astellas agreed to a collaboration on Vir’s prostate‑cancer asset (VIR‑5500) that includes up‑front and potential milestone payments totaling up to ~$1.7B, materially de‑risking that program and improving commercialization prospects. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results surprised to the upside: EPS and roughly $64M revenue beat consensus, signaling stronger commercial traction and likely underpinning recent analyst optimism. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have raised targets and ratings following the results and deal flow (Needham moved its target to $18), supporting upside from fundamentals despite volatility. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management will present at TD Cowen and Leerink in early March — useful for additional color and Q&A but not an immediate earnings/cash catalyst. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Increased media/peer comparisons (head‑to‑head coverage) have raised visibility and trading volume; this can amplify moves but doesn’t change Vir’s underlying cashflow or pipeline. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Vir priced an underwritten offering of 17,647,058 shares at $8.50 (~$150M gross), which strengthens the balance sheet but is dilutive and increased near‑term share supply — a clear short‑term negative for the stock. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Market coverage singled out the discounted offering as the proximate cause of the post‑rally pullback, triggering selling and higher volatility. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insider sales were disclosed last week (including CEO and other senior officers/directors), increasing visible supply and feeding negative sentiment alongside the offering. Individual filings and summaries are available in SEC/insider reports. Read More.

Vir Biotechnology Price Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $7.01 and a 200-day moving average of $6.07. The firm has a market cap of $1.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.88 and a beta of 1.69.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported ($0.31) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $64.07 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.91 million. Vir Biotechnology had a negative return on equity of 49.31% and a negative net margin of 638.88%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 417.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.76) EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Vir Biotechnology, Inc. will post -3.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Vir Biotechnology

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 262,211 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,572,000 after purchasing an additional 2,515 shares in the last quarter. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC raised its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 82.4% during the fourth quarter. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC now owns 39,764 shares of the company’s stock worth $240,000 after acquiring an additional 17,966 shares in the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL acquired a new position in Vir Biotechnology during the fourth quarter worth about $414,000. Polymer Capital Management US LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $300,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.32% of the company’s stock.

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.