Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) Hits New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Arbutus Biopharma Corporation (NASDAQ:ABUS) shares reached a new 52-week high on Friday . The stock traded as high as $5.45 and last traded at $5.31, with a volume of 2005757 shares. The stock had previously closed at $4.77.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ABUS. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Arbutus Biopharma from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Arbutus Biopharma from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $5.00.

Arbutus Biopharma Stock Up 10.7%

The company has a 50-day moving average of $4.60 and a 200-day moving average of $4.44. The company has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a PE ratio of 6.68 and a beta of 0.64.

Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.03) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.02) by ($0.01). Arbutus Biopharma had a net margin of 84.22% and a return on equity of 90.98%. The company had revenue of $1.01 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $0.70 million.

Institutional Trading of Arbutus Biopharma

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cibc World Markets Corp bought a new position in shares of Arbutus Biopharma during the fourth quarter valued at about $48,000. Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Arbutus Biopharma in the 2nd quarter valued at about $44,000. Voleon Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Arbutus Biopharma in the 3rd quarter valued at about $47,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Arbutus Biopharma during the 1st quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, Amundi purchased a new position in shares of Arbutus Biopharma in the 4th quarter worth approximately $57,000. Institutional investors own 43.79% of the company’s stock.

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.