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

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Vir Biotechnology from “hold” to “buy.” Analysts overall have a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $22.14.
• Vir’s quarterly loss of $0.57 per share was narrower than analysts expected, but revenue of negative $0.19 million fell well short of estimates and declined 178.3% year over year.
• Ahead, Vir plans to present Phase 3 ECLIPSE 1 results for its chronic hepatitis delta treatments; the company’s cash runway is projected to extend into the second half of 2028.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $25.00 price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, HC Wainwright increased their price objective on Vir Biotechnology from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $22.14.

Vir Biotechnology Price Performance

VIR stock opened at $12.21 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $11.03 and a 200-day moving average of $9.61. Vir Biotechnology has a fifty-two week low of $4.82 and a fifty-two week high of $12.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.07 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.69 and a beta of 1.70.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The company reported ($0.57) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.75) by $0.18. The firm had revenue of ($0.19) million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $0.98 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($1.17) EPS. The firm's revenue was down 178.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Vir Biotechnology will post -1.84 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vir Biotechnology

In related news, EVP Vanina de Verneuil sold 2,407 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.10, for a total transaction of $26,717.70. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 110,193 shares in the company, valued at $1,223,142.30. This represents a 2.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 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. Company insiders own 2.90% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vir Biotechnology

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 3.3% in the third quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 28,468 shares of the company's stock valued at $318,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its position in Vir Biotechnology by 6.4% during the third quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 24,507 shares of the company's stock worth $274,000 after purchasing an additional 1,464 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake 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 worth $616,000 after purchasing an additional 2,164 shares in the last quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lifted its position in Vir Biotechnology by 19.8% in the first quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 16,163 shares of the company's stock worth $145,000 after purchasing an additional 2,668 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 10.1% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 29,064 shares of the company's stock valued at $325,000 after buying an additional 2,669 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.32% of the company's stock.

Key Vir Biotechnology News

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

About Vir Biotechnology

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.

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