Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $34.83.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Leerink Partners lifted their target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $10.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $28.00 to $26.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 4th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $110.00 price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Vir Biotechnology from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $10.00 to $20.00 in a research note on Thursday.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Performance

Shares of VIR stock traded down $1.28 on Monday, hitting $10.82. 2,070,202 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,465,428. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.76 and a beta of 0.51. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $8.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $8.35. Vir Biotechnology has a one year low of $6.56 and a one year high of $14.45.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported ($1.56) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.05) by ($0.51). Vir Biotechnology had a negative net margin of 678.40% and a negative return on equity of 36.71%. The firm had revenue of $2.38 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.54 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($1.22) EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vir Biotechnology will post -3.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Vicki L. Sato sold 10,960 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.52, for a total transaction of $137,219.20. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,312,391 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,431,135.32. The trade was a 0.83 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders have sold a total of 14,786 shares of company stock worth $170,172 over the last 90 days. 15.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vir Biotechnology

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 238,504 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,123,000 after purchasing an additional 9,817 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 41.5% during the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 65,573 shares of the company’s stock worth $584,000 after acquiring an additional 19,216 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Vir Biotechnology during the second quarter worth approximately $119,000. Quest Partners LLC increased its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 142.1% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 12,695 shares of the company’s stock valued at $113,000 after purchasing an additional 7,452 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 12.7% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 168,235 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,497,000 after purchasing an additional 18,967 shares in the last quarter. 65.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Vir Biotechnology

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).