Brokerages Set Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) PT at $20.25

Shares of Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $20.3750.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on VIR shares. Raymond James Financial raised shares of Vir Biotechnology from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $19.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $26.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. HC Wainwright upped their price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $18.00 price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $23.00 price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Friday, May 8th.

Vir Biotechnology Price Performance

NASDAQ:VIR opened at $8.77 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $9.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $8.00. The stock has a market cap of $1.48 billion, a P/E ratio of -2.80 and a beta of 1.65. Vir Biotechnology has a 1-year low of $4.16 and a 1-year high of $11.66.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of ($0.03) million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $55.49 million. Vir Biotechnology had a negative net margin of 638.88% and a negative return on equity of 53.31%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.88) earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Vir Biotechnology will post -1.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Vir Biotechnology

In related news, CEO Backer Marianne De sold 72,559 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.16, for a total transaction of $664,640.44. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 948,145 shares in the company, valued at $8,685,008.20. This represents a 7.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Director Vicki L. Sato sold 22,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.05, for a total transaction of $221,100.00. Following the sale, the director owned 1,078,391 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,837,829.55. This trade represents a 2.00% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 127,849 shares of company stock worth $1,189,426. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vir Biotechnology

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Aberdeen Group plc raised its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 51.6% during the third quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 1,526,265 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,715,000 after acquiring an additional 519,374 shares during the period. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP raised its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 31.0% during the third quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP now owns 911,882 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,207,000 after acquiring an additional 215,882 shares during the period. UBS Group AG raised its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 94.6% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 417,965 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,520,000 after acquiring an additional 203,203 shares during the period. Nano Cap New Millennium Growth Fund L P acquired a new stake in Vir Biotechnology during the fourth quarter worth about $60,000. Finally, New York State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 52.3% during the fourth quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 126,058 shares of the company’s stock worth $760,000 after acquiring an additional 43,300 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.32% of the company’s stock.

Vir Biotechnology Company Profile

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.