Sphera Funds Management LTD. Has $4.27 Million Holdings in Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR)

Sphera Funds Management LTD. increased its stake in Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR - Free Report) by 523.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 581,829 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 488,500 shares during the period. Sphera Funds Management LTD. owned 0.42% of Vir Biotechnology worth $4,271,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury grew its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 39,268 shares of the company's stock worth $288,000 after acquiring an additional 1,227 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings 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 period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings 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 period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its holdings 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 period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.32% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on VIR. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $19.00 to $14.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 12th. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $110.00 price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Friday, February 28th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $26.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $28.00 to $21.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vir Biotechnology has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $32.86.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Performance

NASDAQ VIR traded up $0.04 on Monday, reaching $4.64. The company had a trading volume of 1,402,301 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,373,519. The firm has a market capitalization of $641.42 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.18 and a beta of 1.36. Vir Biotechnology, Inc. has a 1-year low of $4.32 and a 1-year high of $14.45. The company's fifty day moving average is $5.97 and its 200-day moving average is $7.84.

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

Insider Activity at Vir Biotechnology

In other Vir Biotechnology news, Director George A. Scangos sold 10,964 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.81, for a total value of $107,556.84. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 708,295 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,948,373.95. This represents a 1.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Verneuil Vanina De sold 7,373 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 79,460 shares in the company, valued at approximately $726,264.40. This represents a 8.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 98,049 shares of company stock worth $649,232. Insiders own 15.60% of the company's stock.

Vir Biotechnology Company 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).