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

Key Points

• Director Vicki Sato sold 22,000 shares at an average price of $10.05 for $221,100 on May 1 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, reducing her stake by about 2% to 1,078,391 shares.
• Quarterly results topped expectations: Vir reported EPS of -$0.31 vs. -$0.42 expected and revenue of $64.07 million (vs. $19.91M est.), with revenue up ~418% year-over-year.
• The stock trades around $10.09 with a $1.63B market cap and a 52-week range of $4.16–$11.66; analysts have a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating and an average target price of $20.38 after multiple price-target increases.

Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) Director Vicki Sato sold 22,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.05, for a total transaction of $221,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,078,391 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,837,829.55. The trade was a 2.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Performance

Shares of Vir Biotechnology stock traded up $0.09 during trading on Monday, hitting $10.09. The company's stock had a trading volume of 511,581 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,060,545. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $9.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $7.47. The company has a market capitalization of $1.63 billion, a PE ratio of -3.19 and a beta of 1.70. Vir Biotechnology, Inc. has a 52 week low of $4.16 and a 52 week high of $11.66.

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 company had revenue of $64.07 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.91 million. Vir Biotechnology had a negative net margin of 638.88% and a negative return on equity of 49.31%. Vir Biotechnology's quarterly revenue was up 417.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned ($0.76) EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Vir Biotechnology, Inc. will post -1.97 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $26.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $18.00 price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Friday, April 10th. HC Wainwright increased their price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vir Biotechnology currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $20.38.

Institutional Trading of Vir Biotechnology

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 25.9% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 6,761 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 1,390 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 23.0% during the 4th 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 last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 23,525 shares of the company's stock valued at $142,000 after acquiring an additional 1,705 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 228,949 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,154,000 after acquiring an additional 2,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 262,211 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,572,000 after acquiring an additional 2,515 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.32% of the company's stock.

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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