Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Saturday.

Several other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $18.00 target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Raymond James Financial raised shares of Vir Biotechnology from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $19.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on Vir Biotechnology from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Leerink Partners reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $20.00 price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $19.89.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Performance

VIR opened at $9.09 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.88 and a beta of 1.65. Vir Biotechnology has a one year low of $4.16 and a one year high of $10.94. The business’s fifty day moving average is $7.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $6.10.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported ($0.31) earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $64.07 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.91 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($0.76) earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 417.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Vir Biotechnology will post -3.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Vir Biotechnology

In other news, EVP Verneuil Vanina De sold 13,700 shares of Vir Biotechnology stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 112,982 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,109,483.24. The trade was a 10.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Vicki L. Sato sold 42,377 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.75, for a total value of $413,175.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,144,391 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,157,812.25. The trade was a 3.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 155,546 shares of company stock worth $1,312,954 over the last quarter. 16.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vir Biotechnology

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. ARCH Venture Management LLC acquired a new position in Vir Biotechnology during the second quarter worth approximately $65,100,000. GSK plc purchased a new stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology during the 4th quarter valued at $51,562,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology during the 4th quarter worth $8,252,000. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 18.9% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,229,555 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,564,000 after buying an additional 988,262 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC raised its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 129.2% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,396,504 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,974,000 after buying an additional 787,212 shares during the period. 65.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Vir Biotechnology

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.

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.