Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $30.25.

Several research firms recently weighed in on VIR. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Vir Biotechnology to a “moderate buy” rating and set a $12.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $14.00 price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $28.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th.

Insider Transactions at Vir Biotechnology

In other news, Director Vicki L. Sato sold 22,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.10, for a total value of $112,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 1,298,391 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,621,794.10. This represents a 1.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 16.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vir Biotechnology

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $78,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $60,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 524.3% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 5,972 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP acquired a new position in shares of Vir Biotechnology in the 4th quarter worth approximately $93,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 9.2% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 88,776 shares of the company’s stock worth $652,000 after acquiring an additional 7,507 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.32% of the company’s stock.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Down 4.7%

VIR opened at $5.65 on Monday. Vir Biotechnology has a twelve month low of $4.32 and a twelve month high of $14.45. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $5.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $7.02. The company has a market cap of $781.06 million, a PE ratio of -1.34 and a beta of 1.22.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.88) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.83) by ($0.05). Vir Biotechnology had a negative return on equity of 47.46% and a negative net margin of 2,769.04%. The company had revenue of $3.03 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.59 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.48) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 94.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vir Biotechnology will post -3.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Vir Biotechnology Company Profile

Vir Biotechnology, Inc, an immunology company, develops therapeutic products to treat and prevent serious infectious diseases. Its clinical development pipeline consists of product candidates targeting hepatitis delta virus (HDV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The company’s preclinical candidates include those targeting influenza A and B, coronavirus disease 2019, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (MPV), and human papillomavirus (HPV).