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

Key Points

• Vir Biotechnology, Inc. has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from eight analysts, with an average 12-month price target of $30.25.
• Recent insider trading saw Director Vicki L. Sato selling 22,000 shares, reducing her ownership by 1.69%, while EVP Mark Eisner sold 6,796 shares, decreasing his stake by 5.91%.
• In its latest quarter, Vir Biotechnology reported an EPS loss of ($0.80), missing estimates and showing a 60.5% decline in revenue year-over-year.

Shares of Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the nine brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $28.4444.

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Bank of America raised shares of Vir Biotechnology from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $12.00 to $14.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Friday, July 11th. They set an "outperform" rating on the stock. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and set a $14.00 price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Thursday, May 22nd.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vir Biotechnology

In other news, Director Vicki L. Sato sold 22,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.10, for a total transaction of $112,200.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,298,391 shares in the company, valued at $6,621,794.10. The trade was a 1.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Mark Eisner sold 6,796 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.47, for a total transaction of $37,174.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 108,204 shares of the company's stock, valued at $591,875.88. This represents a 5.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 57,582 shares of company stock worth $294,930. 16.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vir Biotechnology

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of VIR. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 398,772 shares of the company's stock worth $2,927,000 after purchasing an additional 2,574 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new stake in Vir Biotechnology in the fourth quarter worth $177,000. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in Vir Biotechnology in the fourth quarter worth $173,000. First Trust Advisors LP bought a new stake in Vir Biotechnology during the fourth quarter valued at about $93,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 58.0% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,915,465 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,059,000 after acquiring an additional 703,360 shares during the period. 65.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vir Biotechnology Trading Down 3.6%

NASDAQ:VIR traded down $0.19 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $5.04. 2,152,707 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,436,352. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $5.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $5.93. Vir Biotechnology has a fifty-two week low of $4.16 and a fifty-two week high of $14.45. The firm has a market cap of $700.16 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.26 and a beta of 1.18.

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

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).