Vanguard Group Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Vir Biotechnology, Inc. $VIR

Key Points

• Vanguard Group trimmed its Vir Biotechnology stake by 2% in the fourth quarter, though it still held 12.55 million shares worth about $75.7 million and remained the company’s largest disclosed shareholder.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but generally positive: Vir has a Moderate Buy consensus with a $20.25 target price, even after Wall Street Zen downgraded it to sell while several other firms raised or reiterated bullish ratings.
• Vir Biotechnology reported a weak latest quarter, posting an EPS loss of $0.85 and revenue well below expectations, while insiders also sold shares recently and the stock was trading around $9.09.

Vanguard Group Inc. lowered its stake in Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR - Free Report) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,548,944 shares of the company's stock after selling 250,437 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 9.02% of Vir Biotechnology worth $75,670,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 25.9% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 6,761 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,390 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 23.0% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 8,804 shares of the company's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 1,646 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 1.0% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 228,949 shares of the company's stock worth $1,154,000 after purchasing an additional 2,300 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 15.3% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 19,317 shares of the company's stock worth $125,000 after purchasing an additional 2,566 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Vir Biotechnology by 0.9% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 443,375 shares of the company's stock worth $2,235,000 after acquiring an additional 4,069 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.32% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on VIR. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Vir Biotechnology from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. HC Wainwright increased their price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Leerink Partners reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $20.00 price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $23.00 price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Friday, May 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vir Biotechnology has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $20.25.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Vicki L. Sato sold 22,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.05, for a total transaction of $221,100.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,078,391 shares in the company, valued at $10,837,829.55. This trade represents a 2.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Brent Sabatini sold 7,711 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.12, for a total transaction of $70,324.32. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 61,902 shares in the company, valued at $564,546.24. The trade was a 11.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 256,286 shares of company stock valued at $2,365,780 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 16.00% of the company's stock.

Vir Biotechnology Trading Down 2.6%

VIR opened at $9.09 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.53 billion, a PE ratio of -2.90 and a beta of 1.70. Vir Biotechnology, Inc. has a 1-year low of $4.16 and a 1-year high of $11.66. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $9.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $7.67.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported ($0.85) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by ($0.84). The firm had revenue of ($0.03) million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.49 million. Vir Biotechnology had a negative net margin of 638.88% and a negative return on equity of 53.31%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.88) earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Vir Biotechnology, Inc. will post -2.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Vir Biotechnology

Vir Biotechnology, Inc is a clinical‐stage immunology company dedicated to developing therapies that prevent and treat serious infectious diseases. The company leverages a suite of proprietary technology platforms—ranging from antibody isolation and screening tools to cell‐based assays and bioinformatics—to identify and advance antiviral and antibacterial candidates. Its scientific approach centers on harnessing the human immune system through monoclonal antibodies and immunomodulatory agents.

The company's pipeline includes product candidates targeting influenza A, COVID‐19, HIV, hepatitis B, and tuberculosis.

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