Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) Stock Price Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Arbutus Biopharma Corporation (NASDAQ:ABUS)’s stock price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $4.41 and traded as high as $4.89. Arbutus Biopharma shares last traded at $4.73, with a volume of 2,987,210 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on ABUS shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Arbutus Biopharma in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Arbutus Biopharma from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $5.00.

Arbutus Biopharma Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $962.02 million, a PE ratio of 5.87 and a beta of 0.62. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $4.39 and a 200-day moving average of $4.41.

Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $179.13 million for the quarter. Arbutus Biopharma had a return on equity of 129.32% and a net margin of 83.95%. Equities research analysts expect that Arbutus Biopharma Corporation will post -0.16 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Arbutus Biopharma

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Morgan Stanley lifted its stake in Arbutus Biopharma by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 26,702,776 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $128,440,000 after acquiring an additional 2,252,164 shares during the last quarter. Two Seas Capital LP raised its holdings in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 14.5% in the 4th quarter. Two Seas Capital LP now owns 12,589,158 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $60,554,000 after purchasing an additional 1,597,897 shares in the last quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 320.6% in the 1st quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 6,626,389 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $29,819,000 after purchasing an additional 5,051,013 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 44.2% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,908,211 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $28,418,000 after purchasing an additional 1,809,893 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ADAR1 Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 86.5% during the 4th quarter. ADAR1 Capital Management LLC now owns 5,415,109 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $26,047,000 after purchasing an additional 2,511,883 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 43.79% of the company’s stock.

Arbutus Biopharma Company 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.