Vir Biotechnology, Inc. $VIR Shares Bought by Candriam S.C.A.

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. increased its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 10.1% in the first quarter, ending with 1,135,763 shares valued at about $10.2 million.
• Several other institutional investors also added to or initiated positions, and overall institutional ownership stands at 65.32%. Insider selling was modest, with directors Vicki L. Sato and Janet Napolitano selling shares under pre-arranged trading plans.
• Analysts are mixed but generally positive: the stock has a Moderate Buy consensus rating with a target price of $20.88, while Vir Biotechnology recently posted a wider-than-expected loss and revenue far below estimates.

Candriam S.C.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR - Free Report) by 10.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,135,763 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 104,100 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A. owned 0.70% of Vir Biotechnology worth $10,176,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 2,088.4% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 268,297 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,739,000 after acquiring an additional 256,037 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vir Biotechnology during the first quarter worth $359,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 43.6% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 742,674 shares of the company's stock worth $4,813,000 after purchasing an additional 225,544 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP lifted its position in Vir Biotechnology by 245.6% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 466,737 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,024,000 after purchasing an additional 331,701 shares during the period. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth lifted its position in Vir Biotechnology by 15.3% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 19,317 shares of the company's stock valued at $125,000 after purchasing an additional 2,566 shares during the period. 65.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Vir Biotechnology

In related news, Director Vicki L. Sato sold 22,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.05, for a total value of $221,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,078,391 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,837,829.55. This represents a 2.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Janet Napolitano sold 3,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.45, for a total value of $30,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 21,216 shares in the company, valued at approximately $200,491.20. The trade was a 13.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 25,579 shares of company stock valued at $254,922 in the last ninety days. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on VIR shares. Leerink Partners increased their price target on Vir Biotechnology from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Vir Biotechnology from $23.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Vir Biotechnology from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Vir Biotechnology presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $20.88.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Performance

VIR opened at $9.96 on Monday. Vir Biotechnology, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $4.16 and a fifty-two week high of $11.66. The company has a fifty day moving average of $9.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $8.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.18 and a beta of 1.62.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported ($0.85) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by ($0.84). Vir Biotechnology had a negative return on equity of 53.31% and a negative net margin of 638.88%.The firm had revenue of ($0.03) million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $55.49 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.88) earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Vir Biotechnology, Inc. will post -1.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Vir Biotechnology Company Profile

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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