Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Saturday morning.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on VIR. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $25.00 price objective on Vir Biotechnology in a report on Thursday. Finally, Leerink Partners upped their target price on Vir Biotechnology from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. One 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. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $20.62.

Vir Biotechnology Price Performance

Shares of VIR opened at $8.89 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.50 billion, a PE ratio of -4.78 and a beta of 1.66. The company’s 50-day moving average is $9.29 and its 200-day moving average is $9.08. Vir Biotechnology has a fifty-two week low of $4.16 and a fifty-two week high of $11.66.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $238.95 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $135.88 million. Vir Biotechnology had a negative net margin of 638.88% and a negative return on equity of 29.99%. Vir Biotechnology’s revenue was up 19582.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.80) EPS. Analysts predict that Vir Biotechnology will post -2.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Janet Napolitano sold 3,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.45, for a total value of $30,240.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 21,216 shares in the company, valued at approximately $200,491.20. This represents a 13.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vir Biotechnology

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vir Biotechnology during the second quarter worth approximately $35,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 25.9% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 6,761 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 1,390 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 1,418.7% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 7,062 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 6,597 shares during the period. CWM LLC grew its position in Vir Biotechnology by 23.0% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 8,804 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 1,646 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nano Cap New Millennium Growth Fund L P acquired a new stake in Vir Biotechnology during the fourth quarter worth approximately $60,000. Institutional investors own 65.32% of the company’s stock.

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.