Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) Shares Sold by D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR - Free Report) by 46.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 502,000 shares of the company's stock after selling 428,655 shares during the quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned 0.36% of Vir Biotechnology worth $3,685,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury increased its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 39,268 shares of the company's stock valued at $288,000 after purchasing an additional 1,227 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 236,681 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,737,000 after buying an additional 1,288 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 31.8% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,288 shares of the company's stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 1,999 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 10.7% in the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 26,440 shares of the company's stock valued at $194,000 after buying an additional 2,556 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 398,772 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,927,000 after buying an additional 2,574 shares during the last quarter. 65.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vir Biotechnology Trading Down 2.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:VIR traded down $0.11 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $4.50. The stock had a trading volume of 1,383,910 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,383,983. The company has a market capitalization of $622.07 million, a PE ratio of -1.15 and a beta of 1.36. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $5.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $7.68. Vir Biotechnology, Inc. has a 1 year low of $4.32 and a 1 year high of $14.45.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.88) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.83) by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $3.03 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.59 million. Vir Biotechnology had a negative net margin of 678.40% and a negative return on equity of 36.71%. The firm's revenue was down 94.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.48) EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Vir Biotechnology, Inc. will post -3.92 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on VIR shares. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $28.00 to $21.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $26.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $14.00 price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vir Biotechnology currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $32.86.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Verneuil Vanina De sold 7,373 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.14, for a total transaction of $67,389.22. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 79,460 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $726,264.40. The trade was a 8.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Backer Marianne De sold 79,712 shares of Vir Biotechnology stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.95, for a total transaction of $474,286.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 769,505 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,578,554.75. The trade was a 9.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 15.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Vir Biotechnology Profile

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).