Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) Posts Earnings Results

Key Points

• Vir reported a massive earnings miss, posting adjusted EPS of ($0.85) versus consensus ($0.01) (a $0.84 shortfall) and revenue of ($0.03) million versus an expected $55.49 million, leaving the company with a deeply negative net margin and ROE.
• Insiders have been selling: the CEO sold 72,559 shares and the CAO sold 7,711 shares (transactions partly under a Rule 10b5-1 plan to cover tax withholding), with insiders offloading 257,816 shares (~$2.38M) in the past three months while still owning about 16% of the company.
• Despite the weak quarter, analyst sentiment remains generally positive—consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $20.38 and several firms recently raising targets (range up to $30).

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The company reported ($0.85) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.01) by ($0.84), FiscalAI reports. Vir Biotechnology had a negative net margin of 638.88% and a negative return on equity of 49.31%. The business had revenue of ($0.03) million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.49 million.

Vir Biotechnology Price Performance

Shares of VIR stock traded up $0.28 on Wednesday, hitting $10.29. The stock had a trading volume of 1,562,105 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,025,390. The business has a 50 day moving average of $9.56 and a 200 day moving average of $7.50. The stock has a market cap of $1.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.26 and a beta of 1.70. Vir Biotechnology has a 12-month low of $4.16 and a 12-month high of $11.66.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Brent Sabatini sold 7,711 shares of the business's 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 61,902 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $564,546.24. The trade was a 11.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Backer Marianne De sold 72,559 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.16, for a total transaction of $664,640.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 948,145 shares in the company, valued at $8,685,008.20. This trade represents a 7.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last three months, insiders have sold 257,816 shares of company stock worth $2,377,698. Company insiders own 16.00% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vir Biotechnology

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cinctive Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. Cinctive Capital Management LP now owns 27,755 shares of the company's stock worth $167,000 after buying an additional 3,572 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 39.7% in the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 30,739 shares of the company's stock worth $155,000 after buying an additional 8,739 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vir Biotechnology in the 4th quarter worth about $136,000. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 15.3% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 19,317 shares of the company's stock worth $125,000 after buying an additional 2,566 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 87.0% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 19,146 shares of the company's stock worth $109,000 after buying an additional 8,906 shares during the last quarter. 65.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on VIR. Raymond James Financial raised shares of Vir Biotechnology from an "outperform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $19.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $18.00 price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $26.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, HC Wainwright increased their target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vir Biotechnology has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $20.38.

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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