Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) Sees Large Volume Increase - Here's Why

Key Points

• Shares of Arbutus Biopharma traded about 1,366,387 shares on Wednesday (down 35% from the prior session's 2,113,071) and last traded at $4.486 — the stock was reported up ~5.2%.
• Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (D-)" on ABUS; overall the stock has one Buy and one Sell from analysts, an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $5.00.
• Arbutus beat quarterly estimates with EPS of ($0.01) and revenue of $1.05M, but remains unprofitable (net margin -237.88%, negative ROE) while continuing to advance a clinical-stage HBV pipeline including RNAi, capsid modulators and LNP delivery technology.

Shares of Arbutus Biopharma Corporation (NASDAQ:ABUS - Get Free Report) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Wednesday . Approximately 1,366,387 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 35% from the previous session's volume of 2,113,071 shares.The stock last traded at $4.4860 and had previously closed at $4.35.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Arbutus Biopharma in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $5.00.

Arbutus Biopharma Stock Up 5.2%

The firm has a market cap of $894.32 million, a PE ratio of -26.91 and a beta of 0.74. The company's 50 day moving average price is $4.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $4.43.

Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, March 20th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.01) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.06) by $0.05. Arbutus Biopharma had a negative net margin of 237.88% and a negative return on equity of 42.39%. The business had revenue of $1.05 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $0.83 million. On average, analysts expect that Arbutus Biopharma Corporation will post -0.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Oxford Asset Management LLP bought a new position in Arbutus Biopharma during the 2nd quarter worth about $38,000. Voleon Capital Management LP bought a new position in Arbutus Biopharma during the 3rd quarter worth about $47,000. Cibc World Markets Corp bought a new position in Arbutus Biopharma during the 4th quarter worth about $48,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its holdings in Arbutus Biopharma by 3,911.1% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 15,844 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 15,449 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Arbutus Biopharma by 71.5% during the 2nd quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 18,255 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 7,610 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 43.79% of the company's stock.

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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