Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) Hits New 52-Week High on Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Vir Biotechnology hit a new 52-week high, reaching $12.19 after Zacks Research upgraded the stock from “strong sell” to “hold.” Analysts overall have a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $22.14.
• For Q3, Vir reported an adjusted loss of $0.57 per share, narrower than analysts expected and improved from a $1.17 loss a year earlier; however, revenue was negative $0.19 million, below estimates.
• A potential catalyst is topline Phase 3 ECLIPSE 1 data for its hepatitis delta therapies, expected to be presented at AASLD’s 2026 Liver Meeting. Management says its cash runway extends into the second half of 2028.

Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high on Friday after Zacks Research upgraded the stock from a strong sell rating to a hold rating. The company traded as high as $12.19 and last traded at $12.0840, with a volume of 649,995 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $11.02.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on VIR. Wall Street Zen upgraded Vir Biotechnology from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $25.00 price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. HC Wainwright boosted their price objective on Vir Biotechnology from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vir Biotechnology has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $22.14.

Insider Activity

In other Vir Biotechnology news, EVP Vanina de Verneuil sold 2,407 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.10, for a total value of $26,717.70. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 110,193 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,223,142.30. This trade represents a 2.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 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. Corporate insiders own 2.90% of the company's stock.

Key Vir Biotechnology News

Here are the key news stories impacting Vir Biotechnology this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Needham raised its price target to $20 from $18 and maintained a Buy rating, signaling confidence in Vir’s potential. Needham rating
• Positive Sentiment: Vir plans to present topline Phase 3 ECLIPSE 1 results for its hepatitis delta therapies, elebsiran and tobevibart, at AASLD’s 2026 Liver Meeting. The clinical readout is a significant potential catalyst. ECLIPSE 1 data announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Q3 adjusted loss of $0.57 per share was narrower than analysts’ expected loss of about $0.75–$0.80 and improved from $1.17 a year earlier. Q3 earnings report
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded Vir from “strong sell” to “hold,” a ratings improvement but not a bullish recommendation. Zacks ratings
• Neutral Sentiment: Management said its cash runway is expected to extend into the second half of 2028, giving the company funding visibility as it advances clinical programs. Cash runway update
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly revenue was negative $0.19 million, below the $0.98 million consensus estimate and down 178.3% year over year, offsetting some of the earnings improvement. Q3 financial results

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vir Biotechnology

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fiduciary Financial Advisors bought a new position in Vir Biotechnology during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Vir Biotechnology during the 3rd quarter valued at $97,000. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new position in Vir Biotechnology during the first quarter worth $112,000. Amundi increased its position in Vir Biotechnology by 52.8% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 15,315 shares of the company's stock valued at $137,000 after acquiring an additional 5,294 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 223.1% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 15,355 shares of the company's stock worth $138,000 after acquiring an additional 10,603 shares during the last quarter. 65.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $2.05 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.60 and a beta of 1.70. The firm's fifty day moving average is $11.01 and its 200 day moving average is $9.58.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The company reported ($0.57) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.75) by $0.18. The company had revenue of ($0.19) million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $0.98 million. Vir Biotechnology's quarterly revenue was down 178.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($1.17) earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Vir Biotechnology, Inc. will post -1.84 EPS for the current year.

Vir Biotechnology Company Profile

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.

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