Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) Receives $20.44 Average Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the ten research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $20.4444.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price target on Vir Biotechnology from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. HC Wainwright raised their price objective on Vir Biotechnology from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Leerink Partners reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $20.00 target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Vir Biotechnology from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target 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.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Performance

Shares of VIR opened at $9.32 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $7.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $6.53. Vir Biotechnology has a fifty-two week low of $4.16 and a fifty-two week high of $10.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.30 billion, a PE ratio of -2.95 and a beta of 1.65.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported ($0.31) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.11. The company had revenue of $64.07 million for 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 revenue was up 417.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.76) earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Vir Biotechnology will post -3.92 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vir Biotechnology news, EVP Verneuil Vanina De sold 13,700 shares of Vir Biotechnology stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.82, for a total value of $134,534.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly 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 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 a total of 177,546 shares of company stock worth $1,522,174 in the last 90 days. 16.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vir Biotechnology

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Vir Biotechnology during the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Vir Biotechnology in the third quarter worth about $38,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 25.9% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 6,761 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 1,390 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 1,418.7% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 7,062 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 6,597 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 153.8% during the third quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 8,085 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 4,899 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.32% of the company’s stock.

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.