Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) Trading Up 7.3% – Should You Buy?

Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR)’s share price shot up 7.3% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $6.34 and last traded at $6.3520. 1,553,951 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 5% from the average session volume of 1,642,027 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.92.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VIR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. 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 set a $15.00 price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $17.00.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $877.85 million, a P/E ratio of -1.75 and a beta of 1.39. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $5.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $5.56.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported ($1.17) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.70) by ($0.47). The firm had revenue of $0.24 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.98 million. Vir Biotechnology had a negative return on equity of 50.76% and a negative net margin of 2,963.54%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($1.56) earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Vir Biotechnology, Inc. will post -3.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Vir Biotechnology

In related news, major shareholder Endurance (Cayman) Ltd Svf sold 191,854 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.98, for a total value of $1,147,286.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 13,728,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $82,098,965.52. This represents a 1.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Jason O’byrne sold 6,799 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.56, for a total value of $37,802.44. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 110,701 shares in the company, valued at approximately $615,497.56. This trade represents a 5.79% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 1,717,634 shares of company stock valued at $10,601,398. 16.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vir Biotechnology

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VIR. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology during the second quarter valued at about $35,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vir Biotechnology during the third quarter worth $38,000. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 153.8% during the 3rd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 8,085 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 4,899 shares in the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $50,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 2,200.6% in the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 12,308 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 11,773 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.