Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) Rating Increased to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday morning.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Leerink Partners increased their target price 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, Morgan Stanley set a $25.00 price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vir Biotechnology presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $20.62.

Vir Biotechnology Price Performance

VIR opened at $8.82 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.74 and a beta of 1.66. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $9.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $9.04. Vir Biotechnology has a 1 year low of $4.16 and a 1 year high of $11.66.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.14. Vir Biotechnology had a negative return on equity of 29.99% and a negative net margin of 638.88%.The business had revenue of $238.95 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $135.88 million. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.80) earnings per share. Vir Biotechnology’s quarterly revenue was up 19582.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Vir Biotechnology will post -2.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Vir Biotechnology

In other news, Director Janet Napolitano sold 3,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.45, for a total transaction of $30,240.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 21,216 shares in the company, valued at $200,491.20. The trade was a 13.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its position in Vir Biotechnology by 10,878.9% during the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 1,480,828 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,268,000 after purchasing an additional 1,467,340 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. raised its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 10.1% in the first quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 1,135,763 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,176,000 after purchasing an additional 104,100 shares during the period. UBS Group AG lifted its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 94.6% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 417,965 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,520,000 after buying an additional 203,203 shares during the last quarter. OP Asset Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology during the 1st quarter worth about $1,013,000. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology during the 1st quarter worth about $1,443,000. 65.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.