Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) Hits New 1-Year High - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Arbutus Biopharma shares surged 10.7% to a new 52-week high of $5.45, last trading at $5.31 on heavy volume. The stock remains above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but leans positive, with one Buy and one Hold rating producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and a $5.00 target price—below the latest trading level.
• The company narrowly missed quarterly EPS expectations, reporting a $0.03 loss per share versus the anticipated $0.02 loss, while revenue of $1.01 million exceeded estimates of $0.70 million. Institutional investors own 43.79% of the stock.

Arbutus Biopharma Corporation (NASDAQ:ABUS - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $5.45 and last traded at $5.31, with a volume of 2005757 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $4.77.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ABUS. Weiss Ratings raised Arbutus Biopharma from a "sell (d-)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Wall Street Zen lowered Arbutus Biopharma from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Arbutus Biopharma currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $5.00.

Arbutus Biopharma Trading Up 10.7%

The stock's 50-day moving average is $4.60 and its 200-day moving average is $4.44. The company has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.68 and a beta of 0.64.

Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.03) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.02) by ($0.01). Arbutus Biopharma had a return on equity of 90.98% and a net margin of 84.22%.The company had revenue of $1.01 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $0.70 million.

Institutional Trading of Arbutus Biopharma

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Two Sigma Securities LLC bought a new position in Arbutus Biopharma in the second quarter worth approximately $113,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 4.7% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 461,646 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $2,216,000 after acquiring an additional 20,722 shares in the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Arbutus Biopharma during the second quarter worth approximately $8,216,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Arbutus Biopharma during the second quarter worth approximately $12,702,000. Finally, Man Group plc bought a new position in shares of Arbutus Biopharma in the 2nd quarter worth $2,273,000. 43.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Arbutus Biopharma

Arbutus Biopharma Corporation is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing and advancing a cure for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The company's pipeline features both direct-acting antivirals and host-targeting therapies designed to reduce viral load and restore immune function. Lead programs include an RNA interference (RNAi) candidate aimed at silencing viral gene expression and next-generation capsid assembly modulators that seek to inhibit viral replication at its core.

In addition to its antiviral portfolio, Arbutus leverages proprietary lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery technology to optimize the distribution and cellular uptake of nucleic acid therapeutics.

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