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

Key Points

• Analysts have a “Moderate Buy” consensus on Vir Biotechnology, with seven buy ratings, one strong buy, and one sell among nine analysts. The average 12-month price target is $20.63 versus the stock’s reported price of $8.89.
• Vir reported quarterly EPS of $0.47, beating the $0.33 consensus, while revenue reached $238.95 million compared with estimates of $135.88 million. Revenue increased sharply year over year, although the company continues to post a negative net margin.
• Insiders own 2.9% of the company, while institutional investors and hedge funds hold 65.32%; director Janet Napolitano sold 3,200 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan.

Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the nine analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $20.6250.

VIR has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen raised Vir Biotechnology from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday. Morgan Stanley set a $25.00 target price on Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Leerink Partners lifted their price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Monday.

Insider Activity at Vir Biotechnology

In other news, Director Janet Napolitano sold 3,200 shares of Vir Biotechnology stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.45, for a total transaction of $30,240.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 21,216 shares in the company, valued at approximately $200,491.20. The trade was a 13.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 2.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vir Biotechnology

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VIR. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 25.9% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 6,761 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 1,390 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Vir Biotechnology in the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 1,418.7% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 7,062 shares of the company's stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 6,597 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its position in Vir Biotechnology by 23.0% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 8,804 shares of the company's stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 1,646 shares during the period. Finally, Nano Cap New Millennium Growth Fund L P bought a new stake in Vir Biotechnology in the fourth quarter valued at $60,000. 65.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Performance

NASDAQ VIR opened at $8.89 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $9.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $9.08. Vir Biotechnology has a twelve month low of $4.16 and a twelve month high of $11.66. The stock has a market cap of $1.50 billion, a PE ratio of -4.78 and a beta of 1.66.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $238.95 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $135.88 million. Vir Biotechnology had a negative return on equity of 29.99% and a negative net margin of 638.88%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 19582.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned ($0.80) earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Vir Biotechnology will post -2.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vir Biotechnology Company Profile

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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