Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Still a Buy?

Arbutus Biopharma Corporation (NASDAQ:ABUS) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Wednesday . 4,416,566 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 128% from the previous session’s volume of 1,938,226 shares.The stock last traded at $4.59 and had previously closed at $4.69.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ABUS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Arbutus Biopharma in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Arbutus Biopharma from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 15th. Finally, Chardan Capital restated a “buy” rating and issued a $5.00 price objective on shares of Arbutus Biopharma in a research note on Friday, November 14th. One 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, Arbutus Biopharma currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $5.00.

Arbutus Biopharma Stock Down 1.1%

The company has a fifty day moving average of $4.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $4.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $903.90 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -20.43 and a beta of 0.69.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. ADAR1 Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Arbutus Biopharma by 86.5% during the fourth quarter. ADAR1 Capital Management LLC now owns 5,415,109 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $26,047,000 after purchasing an additional 2,511,883 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 26,702,776 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $128,440,000 after buying an additional 2,252,164 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 44.2% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,908,211 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $28,418,000 after buying an additional 1,809,893 shares during the period. Two Seas Capital LP boosted its stake in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 14.5% in the fourth quarter. Two Seas Capital LP now owns 12,589,158 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $60,554,000 after buying an additional 1,597,897 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 290.3% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,075,948 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $7,245,000 after buying an additional 1,544,070 shares in the last quarter. 43.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Arbutus Biopharma Company Profile

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.