Contrarius Group Holdings Ltd Acquires Shares of 64,952 Biogen Inc. $BIIB

Key Points

• Contrarius Group Holdings opened a new Biogen position in Q4, buying 64,952 shares valued at about $11.4 million. Biogen now represents 0.6% of the firm’s portfolio and is its 25th largest holding.
• Biogen’s latest earnings beat expectations, with EPS of $3.57 versus the $2.95 consensus and revenue of $2.48 billion versus estimates of $2.29 billion. The company also raised FY2026 guidance to $14.25-$15.25 EPS.
• Investor sentiment is being supported by pipeline progress, including salanersen receiving FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation for SMA and encouraging data on other programs. However, the stock still faces a legal overhang from investor investigations and claims alerts.

Contrarius Group Holdings Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ:BIIB - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 64,952 shares of the biotechnology company's stock, valued at approximately $11,431,000. Biogen accounts for 0.6% of Contrarius Group Holdings Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Biogen by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,447,092 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $3,070,514,000 after buying an additional 157,857 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Biogen by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,199,399 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $736,435,000 after buying an additional 130,618 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Biogen in the fourth quarter worth $464,408,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Biogen by 4.2% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,418,127 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $338,731,000 after buying an additional 98,001 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Biogen by 30.7% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,783,581 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $248,809,000 after buying an additional 418,776 shares during the last quarter. 87.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Biogen Price Performance

NASDAQ BIIB opened at $195.34 on Monday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $187.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $183.46. The company has a current ratio of 3.06, a quick ratio of 2.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Biogen Inc. has a 12-month low of $121.05 and a 12-month high of $205.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.96 and a beta of 0.20.

Biogen (NASDAQ:BIIB - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The biotechnology company reported $3.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.95 by $0.62. The company had revenue of $2.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.29 billion. Biogen had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 13.81%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.02 EPS. Biogen has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.250-15.250 EPS. Analysts forecast that Biogen Inc. will post 14.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Biogen News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Biogen this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Biogen’s salanersen won FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation for SMA, with early phase 1b data suggesting meaningful motor improvements and a once-yearly dosing profile that could make the therapy stand out commercially. BIIB's Next-Gen SMA Therapy Salanersen Wins FDA's Breakthrough Tag
• Positive Sentiment: Biogen also highlighted progress on BIIB115 in post-gene therapy SMA, adding to investor optimism that the company has multiple shots on goal in a key neurodegeneration market. Biogen Advances BIIB115 in Post–Gene Therapy SMA: Early Signals for Long‑Term Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Biogen and UCB presented additional data on dapirolizumab pegol in lupus, showing reduced flare rates and lower steroid use, which supports the drug’s potential in a large autoimmune market. UCB and Biogen build steroid-sparing case for lupus drug
• Neutral Sentiment: Biogen is also facing legal overhang after law firms announced investor investigations and fraud-related claims, which could keep sentiment cautious even as pipeline news improves. BIIB Investors Have Opportunity to Join Biogen Inc. Fraud Investigation with the Schall Law Firm
• Neutral Sentiment: A separate investor alert from Pomerantz also flagged a claims investigation into Biogen, adding another potential risk factor, though it does not yet indicate any formal enforcement action. INVESTOR ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of Biogen Inc. - BIIB

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Biogen from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Sunday, February 8th. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $225.00 target price (up from $214.00) on shares of Biogen in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price objective on shares of Biogen from $201.00 to $200.00 in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Biogen from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Wedbush boosted their price target on Biogen from $191.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $215.81.

Biogen Profile

Biogen Inc is a multinational biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing and delivering therapies for neurological and neurodegenerative diseases. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the company has a longstanding emphasis on neuroscience, with research and commercial activities spanning multiple therapeutic areas including multiple sclerosis, spinal muscular atrophy and Alzheimer's disease. Biogen was founded in 1978 and has grown into a global biopharmaceutical firm with operations and commercial presence across North America, Europe, Japan and other international markets.

The company's marketed portfolio has historically included several well-known therapies for multiple sclerosis such as Avonex, Tysabri and Tecfidera, and it has pursued treatments for rare neurological conditions and genetic neuromuscular disorders.

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