Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) Director Vicki Sato Sells 22,000 Shares

Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) Director Vicki Sato sold 22,000 shares of Vir Biotechnology stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.51, for a total transaction of $209,220.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 1,122,391 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,673,938.41. This represents a 1.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Down 4.6%

VIR opened at $8.91 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.24 billion, a PE ratio of -2.82 and a beta of 1.65. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $7.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $6.16. Vir Biotechnology, Inc. has a 52 week low of $4.16 and a 52 week high of $10.94.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported ($0.31) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.42) by $0.11. Vir Biotechnology had a negative return on equity of 49.31% and a negative net margin of 638.88%.The company had revenue of $64.07 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.91 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.76) earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 417.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vir Biotechnology, Inc. will post -3.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vir Biotechnology

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in Vir Biotechnology by 25.9% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 6,761 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,390 shares during the period. CWM LLC grew its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 23.0% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 8,804 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 1,646 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 7.8% in the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 23,525 shares of the company’s stock worth $142,000 after buying an additional 1,705 shares during the period. Clarius Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 0.3% in the third quarter. Clarius Group LLC now owns 619,312 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,536,000 after buying an additional 1,777 shares during the period. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers lifted its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 228,949 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,154,000 after acquiring an additional 2,300 shares during the last quarter. 65.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VIR has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $18.00 target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Leerink Partners reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $20.00 price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Raymond James Financial upgraded Vir Biotechnology from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $19.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vir Biotechnology presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $19.89.

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.