Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) Sees Large Volume Increase After Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) saw strong trading volume on Wednesday after Barclays raised their price target on the stock from $26.00 to $30.00. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the stock. 3,194,544 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 4% from the previous session’s volume of 3,075,935 shares.The stock last traded at $10.6560 and had previously closed at $9.49.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Needham & Company LLC increased their price target on Vir Biotechnology from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $18.00 target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Tuesday. Raymond James Financial raised shares of Vir Biotechnology from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $19.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $15.00 price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vir Biotechnology presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $19.89.

Insider Activity

In other Vir Biotechnology news, Director Vicki L. Sato sold 42,377 shares of Vir Biotechnology stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.75, for a total value of $413,175.75. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,144,391 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,157,812.25. The trade was a 3.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Backer Marianne De sold 19,039 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.45, for a total value of $141,840.55. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,035,466 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,714,221.70. The trade was a 1.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 369,400 shares of company stock worth $2,592,241 in the last quarter. 16.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Vir Biotechnology

Here are the key news stories impacting Vir Biotechnology this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Astellas collaboration materially derisks and monetizes VIR‑5500 — a global co‑development/co‑commercialization deal and strong validation for Vir’s PSMA T‑cell engager program boosted investor confidence in the company’s oncology upside. Astellas and Vir collaboration
• Positive Sentiment: Updated Phase 1 data for VIR‑5500 showed encouraging safety and activity (higher‑dose ORR reported ≈45%), underpinning the collaboration value and near‑term commercial potential. VIR‑5500 Phase 1 results
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat: Vir reported EPS above estimates and revenue (~$64.1M) well ahead of consensus, signaling better near‑term commercial execution and supporting improved revenue momentum. Q4 earnings highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support increased — price‑target raises and upgrades (including Needham) have amplified positive sentiment and provided upside narratives for the stock. Needham raises PT to $18
• Neutral Sentiment: Management engagement with investors: CEO scheduled to speak at major healthcare conferences in early March — investors will look for additional commercialization and cash‑flow color. Investor conference participation
• Neutral Sentiment: Wide media coverage has amplified visibility and trading volume but does not itself change fundamentals; expect higher volatility while the market digests catalysts. Media coverage / 52‑week high
• Negative Sentiment: Public offering priced at $8.50 for 17.65M shares (~$150M gross) — strengthens the balance sheet but is dilutive and likely a key reason for near‑term selling pressure. Public offering pricing
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insiders (CEO, several EVPs, CFO, CAO, a director) reported sales this week — while insider sales can be routine, clustered selling increases float and can weigh on sentiment and near‑term price action. Insider selling filings
• Negative Sentiment: Company remains loss‑making with wide negative margins; long‑term upside depends on execution, milestone receipts from partners and successful commercialization. 2025 financial results

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 262,211 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,572,000 after acquiring an additional 2,515 shares in the last quarter. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC raised its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 82.4% in the 4th quarter. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC now owns 39,764 shares of the company’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 17,966 shares during the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL acquired a new stake in Vir Biotechnology in the 4th quarter worth approximately $414,000. Polymer Capital Management US LLC acquired a new stake in Vir Biotechnology in the 4th quarter worth approximately $202,000. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in Vir Biotechnology during the 4th quarter worth approximately $300,000. 65.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $1.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.95 and a beta of 1.69. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $6.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $6.04.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported ($0.31) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.11. The business had revenue of $64.07 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.91 million. Vir Biotechnology had a negative net margin of 638.88% and a negative return on equity of 49.31%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 417.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.76) earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Vir Biotechnology, Inc. will post -3.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.