Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts give Vir an overall Moderate Buy consensus (10 analysts: 1 sell, 8 buy, 1 strong buy) with an average 1‑year price target of about $20.44, and several firms recently raised targets (Morgan Stanley to $24).
• Institutional interest has increased—ARCH Venture and GSK established large new stakes (~$65.1M and $51.6M) and institutions/hedge funds own ~65.3%—while insiders sold ~257,816 shares (~$2.33M) over the past three months; shares trade near $9.17 with a $1.28B market cap.
• Operationally Vir beat the quarter's expectations (EPS -$0.31 vs. -$0.42 est.; revenue $64.07M vs. $19.91M est., up 417.8% YoY) but remains unprofitable with analysts projecting about -$3.92 EPS for the year.

Shares of Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the ten analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $20.4444.

Several equities analysts have commented on VIR shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $18.00 price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. HC Wainwright boosted their price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Vir Biotechnology from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Verneuil Vanina De sold 13,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.82, for a total transaction of $134,534.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 112,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,109,483.24. This represents a 10.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Brent Sabatini sold 7,711 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.12, for a total transaction of $70,324.32. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 61,902 shares in the company, valued at $564,546.24. The trade was a 11.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 257,816 shares of company stock valued at $2,326,218 over the last three months. 16.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vir Biotechnology

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. ARCH Venture Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology during the second quarter worth approximately $65,100,000. GSK plc purchased a new stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology during the fourth quarter worth approximately $51,562,000. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 18.9% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,229,555 shares of the company's stock worth $37,564,000 after buying an additional 988,262 shares during the period. Orbimed Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 5.9% during the second quarter. Orbimed Advisors LLC now owns 2,380,715 shares of the company's stock worth $11,999,000 after buying an additional 132,466 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,328,207 shares of the company's stock worth $14,041,000 after buying an additional 81,985 shares during the period. 65.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Performance

Shares of VIR opened at $9.17 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.28 billion, a PE ratio of -2.90 and a beta of 1.66. Vir Biotechnology has a 1 year low of $4.16 and a 1 year high of $10.94. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $8.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $6.92.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported ($0.31) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.11. The business had revenue of $64.07 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.91 million. Vir Biotechnology had a negative net margin of 638.88% and a negative return on equity of 49.31%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 417.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.76) earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Vir Biotechnology will post -3.92 earnings per share for the current year.

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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