Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) Upgraded to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley set a $25.00 target price on Vir Biotechnology in a report on Thursday, August 6th. HC Wainwright increased their price target on Vir Biotechnology from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Vir Biotechnology from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Monday, September 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $22.14.

Vir Biotechnology Price Performance

VIR stock opened at $12.21 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $11.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $9.61. Vir Biotechnology has a 12 month low of $4.82 and a 12 month high of $12.45. The company has a market cap of $2.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.69 and a beta of 1.70.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The company reported ($0.57) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.77) by $0.20. The company had revenue of ($0.19) million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.14 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($1.17) earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 178.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Vir Biotechnology will post -1.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Vir Biotechnology

In other news, EVP Vanina de Verneuil sold 2,407 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.10, for a total value of $26,717.70. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 110,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,223,142.30. This trade represents a 2.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 2.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. ACT Capital Partners L.P. acquired a new position in Vir Biotechnology during the third quarter worth $559,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in Vir Biotechnology by 65.7% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 136,146 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,522,000 after purchasing an additional 53,987 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 10.1% in the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 29,064 shares of the company’s stock valued at $325,000 after purchasing an additional 2,669 shares during the last quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System grew its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 58.5% in the third quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 28,033 shares of the company’s stock valued at $313,000 after purchasing an additional 10,346 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 4.1% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 55,135 shares of the company’s stock valued at $616,000 after purchasing an additional 2,164 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.32% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Vir Biotechnology

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment improved: Needham raised its price target to $20 from $18 and maintained a Buy rating. Zacks Research also upgraded VIR from Strong Sell to Hold, reducing a bearish signal. Needham rating Zacks rating
• Positive Sentiment: Key clinical catalyst ahead: Vir plans to present topline Phase 3 ECLIPSE 1 results for elebsiran and tobevibart in chronic hepatitis delta at AASLD’s 2026 liver meeting. Positive data could be a meaningful catalyst, though the outcome is uncertain. AASLD data presentation
• Positive Sentiment: Cash runway extends into the second half of 2028, giving the company additional time to advance its pipeline and reach development milestones. Cash runway update
• Neutral Sentiment: Q3 loss beat expectations: Vir reported a loss of $0.57 per share, narrower than analysts’ expected loss of about $0.75–$0.80 and the $1.17 loss a year earlier. Q3 results
• Neutral Sentiment: An executive sold a small number of shares under a pre-arranged plan to cover tax withholding on vested equity awards; the stated purpose makes this less indicative of a change in outlook. SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed sharply: Q3 revenue was negative $0.19 million versus analysts’ estimate of $0.98 million, and was down 178.3% year over year, tempering the earnings beat. Revenue results

Vir Biotechnology Company Profile

Vir Biotechnology, Inc is a clinical-stage immunology company focused on developing medicines to prevent and treat serious infectious diseases and other immune-related conditions. The company uses antibody engineering, immunologic approaches and other technologies to identify and advance therapies designed to harness or modify the immune system.

Vir’s research and development programs have included treatments and vaccines for hepatitis B, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), influenza and other infectious diseases.