Morgan Stanley Raises Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) Price Target to $27.00

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley raised its price target on Vir Biotechnology from $23 to $27 and kept an overweight rating, implying significant upside from the current share price.
• Other analysts remain generally constructive: the stock has a consensus Moderate Buy rating, with an average price target of $20.88, though opinions are mixed across firms.
• Vir Biotechnology’s latest results were weak, with the company reporting a larger-than-expected loss and minimal revenue; the stock also has seen recent insider selling and continued hedge fund activity.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $23.00 to $27.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "overweight" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 227.27% from the stock's current price.

VIR has been the topic of a number of other research reports. HC Wainwright lifted their price target on Vir Biotechnology from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Leerink Partners boosted their target price on Vir Biotechnology from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Raymond James Financial upgraded Vir Biotechnology from an "outperform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $19.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Vir Biotechnology from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $20.88.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Performance

VIR opened at $8.25 on Thursday. Vir Biotechnology has a one year low of $4.16 and a one year high of $11.66. The stock's fifty day moving average is $9.48 and its 200-day moving average is $8.11. The company has a market capitalization of $1.39 billion, a PE ratio of -2.64 and a beta of 1.65.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported ($0.85) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.49 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.88) EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Vir Biotechnology will post -1.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Backer Marianne De sold 72,559 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.16, for a total transaction of $664,640.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 948,145 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,685,008.20. The trade was a 7.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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. Also, Director Vicki L. Sato sold 22,000 shares of the business'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 transaction, the director directly owned 1,078,391 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,837,829.55. This represents a 2.00% decrease in their position. 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 127,849 shares of company stock worth $1,189,426 over the last quarter. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vir Biotechnology

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VIR. AQR Capital Management LLC raised 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 worth $1,739,000 after buying an additional 256,037 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vir Biotechnology in the 1st quarter worth approximately $359,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 43.6% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 742,674 shares of the company's stock worth $4,813,000 after buying an additional 225,544 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP raised its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 245.6% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 466,737 shares of the company's stock worth $3,024,000 after buying an additional 331,701 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth raised its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 15.3% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 19,317 shares of the company's stock worth $125,000 after buying an additional 2,566 shares in the last quarter. 65.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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