Western Standard LLC Purchases Shares of 507,853 Arbutus Biopharma Corporation $ABUS

Western Standard LLC acquired a new stake in Arbutus Biopharma Corporation (NASDAQ:ABUS) during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 507,853 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,306,000. Arbutus Biopharma accounts for approximately 0.7% of Western Standard LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in Arbutus Biopharma by 290.3% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,075,948 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $7,245,000 after buying an additional 1,544,070 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in Arbutus Biopharma by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 600,430 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,855,000 after acquiring an additional 19,350 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Arbutus Biopharma in the 2nd quarter valued at $61,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 2.7% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,637,021 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $11,240,000 after acquiring an additional 95,876 shares during the period. Finally, Ensign Peak Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 105.9% during the second quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 45,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $139,000 after purchasing an additional 23,150 shares during the last quarter. 43.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Arbutus Biopharma Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ABUS opened at $4.70 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $4.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $4.31. Arbutus Biopharma Corporation has a 1-year low of $2.70 and a 1-year high of $5.10. The company has a market cap of $903.90 million, a PE ratio of -20.43 and a beta of 0.71.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Arbutus Biopharma from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 15th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Arbutus Biopharma in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Chardan Capital restated a “buy” rating and issued a $5.00 price objective on shares of Arbutus Biopharma in a report on Friday, November 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $5.00.

About Arbutus Biopharma

Arbutus Biopharma Corporation is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing and advancing a cure for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The company’s pipeline features both direct-acting antivirals and host-targeting therapies designed to reduce viral load and restore immune function. Lead programs include an RNA interference (RNAi) candidate aimed at silencing viral gene expression and next-generation capsid assembly modulators that seek to inhibit viral replication at its core.

In addition to its antiviral portfolio, Arbutus leverages proprietary lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery technology to optimize the distribution and cellular uptake of nucleic acid therapeutics.