Vicki Sato Sells 22,000 Shares of Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) Stock

Key Points

• Vicki Sato, Director of Vir Biotechnology, sold 22,000 shares of the company's stock at an average price of $4.99, totaling $109,780, which represented a 1.72% decrease in her position.
• Vir Biotechnology's stock is currently trading at $5.43, with a 52-week range between $4.16 and $14.45, alongside a market cap of $753.64 million.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Vir Biotechnology, with target prices ranging from $12.00 to $26.80 amidst recent performance challenges.

Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) Director Vicki Sato sold 22,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.99, for a total value of $109,780.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 1,254,391 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,259,411.09. The trade was a 1.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Performance

VIR stock traded up $0.43 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $5.43. The stock had a trading volume of 1,920,783 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,592,557. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $5.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $5.81. The stock has a market cap of $753.64 million, a PE ratio of -1.36 and a beta of 1.28. Vir Biotechnology, Inc. has a 52-week low of $4.16 and a 52-week high of $14.45.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported ($0.80) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.72) by ($0.08). Vir Biotechnology had a negative return on equity of 50.22% and a negative net margin of 2,895.94%.The business had revenue of $1.21 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.38 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($1.02) EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 60.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Vir Biotechnology, Inc. will post -3.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America upgraded shares of Vir Biotechnology from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $12.00 to $14.00 in a research note on Wednesday, August 27th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Wednesday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $12.00 target price for the company. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $14.00 target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Friday, July 11th. They set an "outperform" rating for the company. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Vir Biotechnology currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $26.80.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vir Biotechnology

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its position in Vir Biotechnology by 99.9% in the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 107,360 shares of the company's stock worth $541,000 after purchasing an additional 53,662 shares during the last quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP boosted its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 17.7% during the 2nd quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP now owns 696,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,508,000 after purchasing an additional 104,580 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 314,176 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,583,000 after purchasing an additional 21,598 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 100.7% during the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 518,684 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,614,000 after purchasing an additional 260,308 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 39.7% during the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 30,739 shares of the company's stock valued at $155,000 after purchasing an additional 8,739 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.32% of the company's stock.

About Vir Biotechnology

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).

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