Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) Shares Cross Above 200-Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Arbutus Biopharma shares rose above their 200-day moving average of $4.41, reaching $4.67 before closing at $4.59 on volume of approximately 968,605 shares.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: one analyst rates the stock Buy and another Sell, resulting in a consensus Hold rating and a $5.00 price target.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $0.87 and revenue of $179.13 million, while institutional investors—including Morgan Stanley, BlackRock and Rubric Capital—held 43.79% of the shares.

Arbutus Biopharma Corporation (NASDAQ:ABUS - Get Free Report) shares passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $4.41 and traded as high as $4.67. Arbutus Biopharma shares last traded at $4.59, with a volume of 968,605 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ABUS shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Arbutus Biopharma in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Wall Street Zen raised Arbutus Biopharma from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $5.00.

Arbutus Biopharma Price Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $4.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $4.41. The stock has a market cap of $906.71 million, a PE ratio of 5.53 and a beta of 0.64.

Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter. Arbutus Biopharma had a net margin of 83.95% and a return on equity of 129.32%. The company had revenue of $179.13 million for the quarter.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in Arbutus Biopharma by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 26,702,776 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $128,440,000 after acquiring an additional 2,252,164 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Arbutus Biopharma during the second quarter worth about $66,077,000. Two Seas Capital LP grew its holdings in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 14.5% during the fourth quarter. Two Seas Capital LP now owns 12,589,158 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $60,554,000 after purchasing an additional 1,597,897 shares during the last quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 320.6% during the first quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 6,626,389 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $29,819,000 after purchasing an additional 5,051,013 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 44.2% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,908,211 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $28,418,000 after purchasing an additional 1,809,893 shares in the last quarter. 43.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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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