Vir Biotechnology, Inc. $VIR is SB Investment Advisers UK Ltd.’s 5th Largest Position

SB Investment Advisers UK Ltd. cut its stake in Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) by 16.5% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 10,948,093 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,168,884 shares during the period. Vir Biotechnology accounts for about 1.3% of SB Investment Advisers UK Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. SB Investment Advisers UK Ltd. owned 0.06% of Vir Biotechnology worth $98,095,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 25.9% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 6,761 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 1,390 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology in the second quarter valued at about $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 1,418.7% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 7,062 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 6,597 shares during the period. CWM LLC increased its position in Vir Biotechnology by 23.0% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 8,804 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 1,646 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nano Cap New Millennium Growth Fund L P acquired a new stake in Vir Biotechnology during the fourth quarter worth about $60,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.32% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $23.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Leerink Partners raised their price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vir Biotechnology from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $20.88.

Vir Biotechnology Trading Up 0.6%

NASDAQ VIR opened at $8.85 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $9.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $8.91. The stock has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a PE ratio of -2.83 and a beta of 1.62. Vir Biotechnology, Inc. has a twelve month low of $4.16 and a twelve month high of $11.66.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported ($0.85) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by ($0.84). The company had revenue of ($0.03) million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $55.49 million. Vir Biotechnology had a negative net margin of 638.88% and a negative return on equity of 53.31%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.88) earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Vir Biotechnology, Inc. will post -1.81 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Vicki L. Sato sold 22,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.05, for a total value of $221,100.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,078,391 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,837,829.55. The trade was a 2.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Janet Napolitano sold 3,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.45, for a total transaction of $30,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 21,216 shares in the company, valued at approximately $200,491.20. This represents a 13.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 25,579 shares of company stock valued at $254,922. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Vir Biotechnology Company Profile

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.