Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) Stock Price Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Arbutus Biopharma Corporation (NASDAQ:ABUS)’s share price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $4.41 and traded as high as $4.57. Arbutus Biopharma shares last traded at $4.45, with a volume of 3,493,740 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ABUS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Arbutus Biopharma in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Arbutus Biopharma from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Arbutus Biopharma presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $5.00.

Arbutus Biopharma Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $879.05 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.36 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $4.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $4.41.

Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $179.13 million for the quarter. Arbutus Biopharma had a return on equity of 129.32% and a net margin of 83.95%. On average, research analysts expect that Arbutus Biopharma Corporation will post -0.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Arbutus Biopharma

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its position in Arbutus Biopharma by 9.2% during the third quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 38,959 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $177,000 after buying an additional 3,280 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 36,161 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $174,000 after acquiring an additional 3,446 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 6.3% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 59,350 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $183,000 after acquiring an additional 3,540 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 1.9% during the third quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 211,784 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $961,000 after acquiring an additional 3,979 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inceptionr LLC increased its holdings in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 14.6% in the 1st quarter. Inceptionr LLC now owns 32,580 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $147,000 after acquiring an additional 4,162 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 43.79% of the company’s stock.

Arbutus Biopharma Company Profile

Arbutus Biopharma Corporation is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing and advancing a cure for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The company’s pipeline features both direct-acting antivirals and host-targeting therapies designed to reduce viral load and restore immune function. Lead programs include an RNA interference (RNAi) candidate aimed at silencing viral gene expression and next-generation capsid assembly modulators that seek to inhibit viral replication at its core.

In addition to its antiviral portfolio, Arbutus leverages proprietary lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery technology to optimize the distribution and cellular uptake of nucleic acid therapeutics.