Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Makes New Investment in Vir Biotechnology, Inc. $VIR

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 50,100 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $449,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VIR. GSK plc bought a new position in shares of Vir Biotechnology during the fourth quarter worth $51,562,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in Vir Biotechnology in the 4th quarter valued at $8,252,000. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 18.9% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,229,555 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,564,000 after acquiring an additional 988,262 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 129.2% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,396,504 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,974,000 after purchasing an additional 787,212 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HRT Financial LP lifted its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 234.7% in the 4th quarter. HRT Financial LP now owns 591,648 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,567,000 after purchasing an additional 414,864 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.32% of the company’s stock.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Up 1.8%

VIR stock opened at $10.43 on Thursday. Vir Biotechnology, Inc. has a 52 week low of $4.16 and a 52 week high of $11.66. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $9.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $8.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.76 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.33 and a beta of 1.62.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported ($0.85) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.01) by ($0.84). The business had revenue of ($0.03) million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.49 million. Vir Biotechnology had a negative return on equity of 53.31% and a negative net margin of 638.88%.During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.88) earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Vir Biotechnology, Inc. will post -1.81 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VIR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Vir Biotechnology from $23.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered Vir Biotechnology from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Leerink Partners raised their price target on Vir Biotechnology from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vir Biotechnology presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $20.88.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Vicki L. Sato sold 22,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.05, for a total value of $221,100.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,078,391 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,837,829.55. This represents a 2.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Janet Napolitano sold 3,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.45, for a total value of $30,240.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 21,216 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $200,491.20. The trade was a 13.11% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 25,579 shares of company stock worth $254,922. Insiders own 2.90% 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.