Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) Trading 5.7% Higher – Still a Buy?

Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR)’s stock price was up 5.7% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $10.06 and last traded at $10.12. Approximately 520,689 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 2,713,973 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.57.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VIR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut Vir Biotechnology from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. HC Wainwright increased their price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Raymond James Financial raised shares of Vir Biotechnology from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $19.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $26.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $20.88.

Vir Biotechnology Trading Up 5.2%

The company has a market capitalization of $1.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.21 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $9.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $8.27.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported ($0.85) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by ($0.84). The firm had revenue of ($0.03) million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 last year, the company earned ($0.88) EPS. Equities analysts predict that Vir Biotechnology, Inc. will post -1.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vir Biotechnology news, Director Janet Napolitano sold 3,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.45, for a total transaction of $30,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 21,216 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $200,491.20. The trade was a 13.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Vicki L. Sato sold 22,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.05, for a total transaction of $221,100.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,078,391 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,837,829.55. The trade was a 2.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. In the last three months, insiders sold 120,138 shares of company stock valued at $1,119,102. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP grew its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 31.0% in the third quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP now owns 911,882 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,207,000 after acquiring an additional 215,882 shares during the period. UBS Group AG raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 203,203 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd raised its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 227.8% during the fourth quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 189,306 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,142,000 after purchasing an additional 131,555 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 16.9% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 367,264 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,097,000 after purchasing an additional 53,088 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nano Cap New Millennium Growth Fund L P bought a new position in shares of Vir Biotechnology during the 4th quarter valued at about $60,000. 65.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Vir Biotechnology

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.