HC Wainwright Issues Positive Estimate for VIR Earnings

Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) – Stock analysts at HC Wainwright lifted their Q2 2026 EPS estimates for Vir Biotechnology in a report released on Wednesday, March 4th. HC Wainwright analyst P. Trucchio now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $0.73 for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of ($0.57). HC Wainwright has a “Buy” rating and a $20.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for Vir Biotechnology’s current full-year earnings is ($3.92) per share. HC Wainwright also issued estimates for Vir Biotechnology’s Q3 2026 earnings at ($0.56) EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at ($0.45) EPS, FY2026 earnings at ($0.81) EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at ($0.37) EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at ($0.64) EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at ($0.47) EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at ($0.51) EPS, FY2027 earnings at ($1.99) EPS, FY2028 earnings at ($1.65) EPS, FY2029 earnings at ($1.24) EPS and FY2030 earnings at ($0.30) EPS.

VIR has been the topic of a number of other reports. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Vir Biotechnology from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $19.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Vir Biotechnology from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $18.00 target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Leerink Partners reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $20.00 target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $20.44.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VIR opened at $9.55 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.02 and a beta of 1.65. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $7.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $6.25. Vir Biotechnology has a fifty-two week low of $4.16 and a fifty-two week high of $10.94.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported ($0.31) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.42) by $0.11. The business 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%. The company’s revenue was up 417.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.76) EPS.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. ARCH Venture Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vir Biotechnology during the second quarter valued at approximately $65,100,000. Aberdeen Group plc raised its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 51.6% in the third quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 1,526,265 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,715,000 after buying an additional 519,374 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 812.7% in the second quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 582,981 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,938,000 after buying an additional 519,107 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $63,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 30.3% during the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 49,910 shares of the company’s stock valued at $252,000 after acquiring an additional 11,620 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.32% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Verneuil Vanina De sold 13,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.82, for a total transaction of $134,534.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 112,982 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,109,483.24. The trade was a 10.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Backer Marianne De sold 14,762 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.53, for a total value of $140,681.86. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,020,704 shares in the company, valued at $9,727,309.12. The trade was a 1.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 177,546 shares of company stock valued at $1,522,174 over the last ninety days. 16.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Vir Biotechnology News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright materially raised its FY2026 outlook (now -$0.81 vs prior -$2.16) and flipped Q2 2026 to a $0.73 EPS forecast, signaling expectations for much stronger near‑term results; the firm retained a “Buy” rating and $20 price target.
• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright also nudged several 2026 quarterly estimates higher (Q3/Q4 2026 less negative), which supports the narrative of improving near‑term fundamentals and likely helped lift sentiment.
• Positive Sentiment: Management change: Vir named CEO Marianne De Backer as President, expanding her responsibilities — a governance move that can be read as streamlining decision‑making and execution. Vir Biotechnology Names CEO Marianne De Backer as President
• Neutral Sentiment: HC Wainwright maintained its Buy rating and $20 target — a supportive endorsement but already priced in by some investors given previous coverage.
• Negative Sentiment: HC Wainwright trimmed longer‑term forecasts: FY2027 was lowered (to -$1.99 from -$1.90) and FY2028/FY2029 estimates were reduced (e.g., FY2028 to -$1.65 from -$1.40; FY2029 to -$1.24 from -$1.13), reflecting weaker medium‑term profitability expectations that could cap upside if sustained.

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.