Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. Has $5.40 Million Stock Holdings in Arbutus Biopharma Co. (NASDAQ:ABUS)

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. trimmed its holdings in Arbutus Biopharma Co. (NASDAQ:ABUS - Free Report) by 43.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,650,941 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 1,250,000 shares during the quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. owned 0.87% of Arbutus Biopharma worth $5,399,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ABUS. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Arbutus Biopharma in the 4th quarter worth $236,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Arbutus Biopharma by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,980,864 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $29,367,000 after buying an additional 62,282 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its stake in Arbutus Biopharma by 466.3% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 272,029 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,047,000 after acquiring an additional 223,995 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Arbutus Biopharma by 900.4% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 896,258 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $2,931,000 after acquiring an additional 806,672 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Arbutus Biopharma in the 4th quarter worth approximately $301,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 43.79% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on ABUS. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and issued a $5.00 target price on shares of Arbutus Biopharma in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. StockNews.com raised shares of Arbutus Biopharma from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 29th. Finally, Chardan Capital reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $5.00 target price on shares of Arbutus Biopharma in a research note on Friday, March 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Arbutus Biopharma has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $5.50.

Arbutus Biopharma Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ABUS traded up $0.06 on Thursday, hitting $3.61. The stock had a trading volume of 1,002,492 shares, compared to its average volume of 991,658. The company has a market capitalization of $691.24 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.40 and a beta of 1.45. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $3.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $3.44. Arbutus Biopharma Co. has a twelve month low of $2.63 and a twelve month high of $4.73.

Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 27th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.07) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.57 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.20 million. Arbutus Biopharma had a negative net margin of 1,137.65% and a negative return on equity of 68.18%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Arbutus Biopharma Co. will post -0.39 EPS for the current year.

Arbutus Biopharma Company Profile

Arbutus Biopharma Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company, develops novel therapeutics for chronic Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in the United States. Its HBV product pipeline consists of imdusiran (AB-729), a proprietary subcutaneously-delivered RNAi therapeutic product candidate that suppresses all HBV antigens, including HBsAg expression.