Vanguard Group Inc. Lowers Stock Position in Vir Biotechnology, Inc. $VIR

Vanguard Group Inc. cut its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) by 3.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,799,381 shares of the company’s stock after selling 427,685 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 9.21% of Vir Biotechnology worth $73,084,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VIR. ARCH Venture Management LLC purchased a new position in Vir Biotechnology during the second quarter valued at approximately $65,100,000. Aberdeen Group plc boosted its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 51.6% in the third quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 1,526,265 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,715,000 after purchasing an additional 519,374 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 812.7% in the second quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 582,981 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,938,000 after purchasing an additional 519,107 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 245.6% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 466,737 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,024,000 after purchasing an additional 331,701 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 100.7% during the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 518,684 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,614,000 after purchasing an additional 260,308 shares during the period. 65.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Vir Biotechnology News

Here are the key news stories impacting Vir Biotechnology this week:

• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright materially raised its FY2026 outlook (now -$0.81 vs prior -$2.16) and flipped Q2 2026 to a $0.73 EPS forecast, signaling expectations for much stronger near‑term results; the firm retained a “Buy” rating and $20 price target.
• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright also nudged several 2026 quarterly estimates higher (Q3/Q4 2026 less negative), which supports the narrative of improving near‑term fundamentals and likely helped lift sentiment.
• Positive Sentiment: Management change: Vir named CEO Marianne De Backer as President, expanding her responsibilities — a governance move that can be read as streamlining decision‑making and execution. Vir Biotechnology Names CEO Marianne De Backer as President
• Neutral Sentiment: HC Wainwright maintained its Buy rating and $20 target — a supportive endorsement but already priced in by some investors given previous coverage.
• Negative Sentiment: HC Wainwright trimmed longer‑term forecasts: FY2027 was lowered (to -$1.99 from -$1.90) and FY2028/FY2029 estimates were reduced (e.g., FY2028 to -$1.65 from -$1.40; FY2029 to -$1.24 from -$1.13), reflecting weaker medium‑term profitability expectations that could cap upside if sustained.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vir Biotechnology news, Director Vicki L. Sato sold 22,000 shares of Vir Biotechnology stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.51, for a total value of $209,220.00. Following the sale, the director owned 1,122,391 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,673,938.41. The trade was a 1.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Verneuil Vanina De sold 13,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 112,982 shares in the company, valued at $1,109,483.24. This trade represents a 10.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 177,546 shares of company stock worth $1,522,174. Corporate insiders own 16.00% of the company’s stock.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Up 4.9%

Shares of VIR stock opened at $9.55 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.33 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.02 and a beta of 1.65. Vir Biotechnology, Inc. has a 52 week low of $4.16 and a 52 week high of $10.94. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $7.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $6.24.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported ($0.31) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.11. Vir Biotechnology had a negative net margin of 638.88% and a negative return on equity of 49.31%. The business had revenue of $64.07 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.91 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.76) EPS. The business’s revenue was up 417.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Vir Biotechnology, Inc. will post -3.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VIR has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $18.00 target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Wall Street Zen raised Vir Biotechnology from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Vir Biotechnology from $26.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Leerink Partners reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $20.00 price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, HC Wainwright upped their price target on Vir Biotechnology from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $20.44.

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.