Insider Selling: Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) EVP Sells $15,216.19 in Stock

Key Points

• Vir Biotechnology EVP Vanina de Verneuil sold 1,343 shares for $15,216, leaving her with 112,600 shares. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan to cover tax withholding on vested equity awards.
• VIR shares rose 3.3% to $11.59 in Wednesday trading. Analysts have a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $21.86.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $0.47, above analysts’ $0.33 estimate, and revenue of $238.95 million versus expectations of $135.88 million.

Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) EVP Vanina de Verneuil sold 1,343 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.33, for a total value of $15,216.19. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 112,600 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,275,758. The trade was a 1.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

Verneuil Vanina De also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, November 3rd, Vanina de Verneuil sold 2,407 shares of Vir Biotechnology stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.10, for a total value of $26,717.70.

Vir Biotechnology Trading Up 3.3%

Shares of VIR stock traded up $0.37 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $11.59. The stock had a trading volume of 1,277,018 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,354,576. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $10.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $9.53. Vir Biotechnology, Inc. has a 12 month low of $4.82 and a 12 month high of $12.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.96 billion, a PE ratio of -6.23 and a beta of 1.70.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $238.95 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $135.88 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.80) earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 19582.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Vir Biotechnology, Inc. will post -1.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vir Biotechnology

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VIR. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in Vir Biotechnology by 4.1% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 55,135 shares of the company's stock worth $616,000 after buying an additional 2,164 shares during the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 3.3% during the third quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 28,468 shares of the company's stock worth $318,000 after buying an additional 900 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Vir Biotechnology during the third quarter valued at $97,000. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its position in Vir Biotechnology by 6.4% during the third quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 24,507 shares of the company's stock valued at $274,000 after acquiring an additional 1,464 shares during the last quarter. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology in the third quarter valued at $438,000. 65.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on VIR shares. Zacks Research downgraded Vir Biotechnology from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Wall Street Zen raised Vir Biotechnology from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Monday, September 28th. HC Wainwright increased their price target on Vir Biotechnology from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $21.86.

About Vir Biotechnology

Vir Biotechnology, Inc is a clinical-stage immunology company focused on developing medicines to prevent and treat serious infectious diseases and other immune-related conditions. The company uses antibody engineering, immunologic approaches and other technologies to identify and advance therapies designed to harness or modify the immune system.

Vir's research and development programs have included treatments and vaccines for hepatitis B, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), influenza and other infectious diseases.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.