Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) Sets New 1-Year High - Here's Why

Key Points

• Vir Biotechnology shares hit a new 52-week high, trading as high as $11.35 (last $11.20) on Monday with about 450,686 shares traded and a market cap of roughly $1.82 billion.
• Wall Street sentiment has improved—multiple upgrades including Barclays raising its target to $30 have pushed the stock to an overall average price target of $20.38 and a consensus "Moderate Buy" (one Strong Buy, seven Buy, one Sell).
• The company posted an earnings beat (EPS -$0.31 vs. -$0.42 expected) and revenue of $64.07M, up 417.8% YoY, but remains unprofitable with a very negative net margin and analysts projecting -3.92 EPS for the year.

Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $11.35 and last traded at $11.2010, with a volume of 450686 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.75.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VIR has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $26.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Leerink Partners reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $20.00 target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Vir Biotechnology from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Friday, April 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $20.38.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.82 billion, a PE ratio of -3.57 and a beta of 1.66. The business's 50 day moving average is $8.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $7.17.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported ($0.31) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.42) by $0.11. Vir Biotechnology had a negative net margin of 638.88% and a negative return on equity of 49.31%. The business had revenue of $64.07 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.91 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.76) EPS. Vir Biotechnology's revenue was up 417.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Vir Biotechnology, Inc. will post -3.92 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vir Biotechnology

In related news, CEO Backer Marianne De sold 72,559 shares of Vir Biotechnology stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.16, for a total value of $664,640.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 948,145 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,685,008.20. The trade was a 7.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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. Also, Director Vicki L. Sato sold 42,377 shares of Vir Biotechnology stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.75, for a total transaction of $413,175.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,144,391 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,157,812.25. This represents a 3.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 257,816 shares of company stock valued at $2,326,218 over the last 90 days. 16.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VIR. GSK plc purchased a new position in shares of Vir Biotechnology during the 4th quarter valued at $51,562,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Vir Biotechnology during the 4th quarter valued at $8,252,000. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 18.9% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,229,555 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,564,000 after purchasing an additional 988,262 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 129.2% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,396,504 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,974,000 after purchasing an additional 787,212 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aberdeen Group plc grew its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 51.6% during the 3rd quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 1,526,265 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,715,000 after purchasing an additional 519,374 shares in the last quarter. 65.32% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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