Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) Stock Rated "Moderate Buy" by Sell-Side Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts rate Vir Biotechnology “Moderate Buy,” with six buy ratings, one strong-buy, and one sell recommendation. The average 12-month price target is $21.57, versus a recent share price of $10.65.
• Institutional investors own 65.32% of the company, with BlackRock and ARCH Venture Management among firms that recently established sizable positions.
• Vir reported quarterly EPS of $0.47, beating the $0.33 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $238.95 million—up sharply year over year but accompanied by a negative net margin and return on equity.

Shares of Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $21.57.

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Vir Biotechnology from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Monday. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Monday, August 10th. Leerink Partners upped their price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th.

Institutional Trading of Vir Biotechnology

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VIR. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vir Biotechnology in the 2nd quarter worth $210,712,000. ARCH Venture Management LLC purchased a new position in Vir Biotechnology in the second quarter valued at about $129,353,521. ADAR1 Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Vir Biotechnology in the second quarter valued at about $25,034,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 1.7% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,579,678 shares of the company's stock worth $23,107,000 after purchasing an additional 43,401 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 10,878.9% in the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 1,480,828 shares of the company's stock worth $13,268,000 after purchasing an additional 1,467,340 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.32% of the company's stock.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Up 1.3%

VIR opened at $10.65 on Wednesday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $10.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.68. The company has a market capitalization of $1.80 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.73 and a beta of 1.63. Vir Biotechnology has a 52 week low of $4.82 and a 52 week high of $11.94.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.14. Vir Biotechnology had a negative return on equity of 29.99% and a negative net margin of 638.88%.The business had revenue of $238.95 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $135.88 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.80) EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 19582.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Vir Biotechnology will post -1.84 earnings per share for the current year.

About Vir Biotechnology

Vir Biotechnology, Inc is a clinical-stage immunology company focused on developing therapies for serious infectious diseases and cancer. The company uses technologies involving antibodies, T cells, small interfering RNA and other immune-based approaches to discover and develop treatments designed to harness or enhance the body's immune response.

Vir's development programs have included therapies for hepatitis B, influenza, human immunodeficiency virus and other infectious diseases, as well as oncology applications.

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