Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $20.8750.

VIR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Leerink Partners lifted their price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Wall Street Zen cut Vir Biotechnology from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Vir Biotechnology from $23.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 11th.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Up 2.1%

VIR stock opened at $9.42 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $9.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $8.80. Vir Biotechnology has a 52-week low of $4.16 and a 52-week high of $11.66. The firm has a market cap of $1.59 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.01 and a beta of 1.62.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported ($0.85) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.01) by ($0.84). The business had revenue of ($0.03) million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 in the prior year, the company posted ($0.88) EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Vir Biotechnology will post -1.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Vicki L. Sato sold 22,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.05, for a total transaction of $221,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 1,078,391 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,837,829.55. This represents a 2.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible 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 stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.45, for a total transaction of $30,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 25,579 shares of company stock worth $254,922 in the last 90 days. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vir Biotechnology

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 25.9% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 6,761 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 1,390 shares during the period. CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 23.0% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 8,804 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 1,646 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 23,525 shares of the company’s stock worth $142,000 after acquiring an additional 1,705 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 228,949 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,154,000 after acquiring an additional 2,300 shares during the period. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 262,211 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,572,000 after acquiring an additional 2,515 shares during the period. 65.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.