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

Key Points

• Analysts give Vir an average rating of "Moderate Buy" (9 analysts: 1 sell, 7 buy, 1 strong buy) with a one-year average price target of about $20.38.
• Corporate insiders have been selling recently—257,816 shares worth roughly $2.33 million in the past 90 days—leaving insiders with about 16% ownership of the stock.
• Vir beat estimates last quarter with EPS of ($0.31) vs. ($0.42) expected and revenue of $64.07M (up 417.8% YoY), but remains unprofitable with a deeply negative net margin (638.88%) and an expected FY EPS of around -1.97.

Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the nine analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $20.3750.

Several research firms have commented on VIR. Raymond James Financial upgraded Vir Biotechnology from an "outperform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $19.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Wall Street Zen raised Vir Biotechnology from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Leerink Partners reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $20.00 price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on Vir Biotechnology from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vir Biotechnology

In other news, CAO Brent Sabatini sold 7,711 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.12, for a total value of $70,324.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 61,902 shares in the company, valued at $564,546.24. This represents a 11.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Verneuil Vanina De sold 13,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.82, for a total transaction of $134,534.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 257,816 shares of company stock valued at $2,326,218 over the last ninety days. 16.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 25.9% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 6,761 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,390 shares during the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Vir Biotechnology during the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Vir Biotechnology during the second quarter worth $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 1,418.7% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 7,062 shares of the company's stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 6,597 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. grew its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 153.8% in the 3rd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 8,085 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 4,899 shares in the last quarter. 65.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of NASDAQ VIR opened at $10.00 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.16 and a beta of 1.70. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $9.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $7.46. Vir Biotechnology has a 52-week low of $4.16 and a 52-week high of $11.66.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported ($0.31) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $64.07 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.91 million. Vir Biotechnology had a negative net margin of 638.88% and a negative return on equity of 49.31%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 417.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.76) EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Vir Biotechnology will post -1.97 EPS for the current fiscal 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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