Vir Biotechnology, Inc. $VIR Shares Acquired by Aberdeen Group plc

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc increased its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 90.9% during the first quarter, acquiring an additional 330,031 shares, bringing its total ownership to approximately 693,192 shares valued at $4.49 million.
• Several hedge funds have also significantly boosted their positions in Vir Biotechnology, with Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increasing its stake by 58% during the fourth quarter.
• The stock has faced challenges, missing quarterly earnings estimates with an EPS of ($0.80) compared to the expected ($0.72) and experiencing a revenue decline of 60.5% year-over-year.

Aberdeen Group plc boosted its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR - Free Report) by 90.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 693,192 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 330,031 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned approximately 0.50% of Vir Biotechnology worth $4,492,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Vir Biotechnology during the 1st quarter worth about $78,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 524.3% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,111 shares of the company's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 5,972 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP purchased a new stake in Vir Biotechnology during the 4th quarter worth about $93,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 55.3% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,715,083 shares of the company's stock worth $12,589,000 after purchasing an additional 610,367 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 71,332 shares of the company's stock worth $524,000 after purchasing an additional 3,506 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.32% of the company's stock.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Performance

Vir Biotechnology stock traded up $0.06 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $4.44. 1,137,526 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,088,270. Vir Biotechnology, Inc. has a twelve month low of $4.16 and a twelve month high of $14.45. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $5.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $5.96. The firm has a market cap of $616.80 million, a PE ratio of -1.11 and a beta of 1.18.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported ($0.80) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.72) by ($0.08). Vir Biotechnology had a negative return on equity of 50.22% and a negative net margin of 2,895.94%.The company had revenue of $1.21 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.38 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($1.02) earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 60.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Vir Biotechnology, Inc. will post -3.92 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on VIR. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $14.00 price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Raymond James Financial began coverage on Vir Biotechnology in a report on Friday, July 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating on the stock. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $30.25.

Insider Activity at Vir Biotechnology

In other news, Director Vicki L. Sato sold 22,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.99, for a total value of $109,780.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 1,276,391 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,369,191.09. This trade represents a 1.69% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mark Eisner sold 6,796 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.47, for a total value of $37,174.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 108,204 shares of the company's stock, valued at $591,875.88. This represents a 5.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 57,582 shares of company stock valued at $294,930 over the last three months. Insiders own 16.00% of the company's stock.

About Vir Biotechnology

Vir Biotechnology, Inc, an immunology company, develops therapeutic products to treat and prevent serious infectious diseases. Its clinical development pipeline consists of product candidates targeting hepatitis delta virus (HDV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The company's preclinical candidates include those targeting influenza A and B, coronavirus disease 2019, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (MPV), and human papillomavirus (HPV).