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

Shares of Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $35.67.

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Leerink Partners lifted their price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $26.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $10.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Friday.

Insider Transactions at Vir Biotechnology

In other Vir Biotechnology news, Director Vicki L. Sato sold 10,960 shares of Vir Biotechnology stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.52, for a total transaction of $137,219.20. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 1,312,391 shares in the company, 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 is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director George A. Scangos sold 10,964 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.81, for a total transaction of $107,556.84. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 708,295 shares in the company, valued at $6,948,373.95. This trade represents a 1.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 30,859 shares of company stock worth $326,458. Company insiders own 15.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 29.2% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 181,325 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,331,000 after purchasing an additional 40,954 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology in the fourth quarter worth about $991,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 74.8% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 74,800 shares of the company’s stock worth $549,000 after acquiring an additional 32,000 shares during the period. Stonepine Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Vir Biotechnology during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,205,000. Finally, Sphera Funds Management LTD. lifted its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 523.4% in the fourth quarter. Sphera Funds Management LTD. now owns 581,829 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,271,000 after acquiring an additional 488,500 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.32% of the company’s stock.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Performance

NASDAQ VIR opened at $7.92 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.02 and a beta of 0.64. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $9.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $8.49. Vir Biotechnology has a one year low of $6.56 and a one year high of $14.45.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported ($0.76) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.85) by $0.09. The business had revenue of $12.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.14 million. Vir Biotechnology had a negative net margin of 678.40% and a negative return on equity of 36.71%. Equities analysts expect that Vir Biotechnology will post -3.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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).