Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) Shares Gap Down – Time to Sell?

Arbutus Biopharma Corporation (NASDAQ:ABUS)’s stock price gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $4.70, but opened at $3.94. Arbutus Biopharma shares last traded at $3.8650, with a volume of 3,116,814 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Chardan Capital restated a “buy” rating and set a $5.00 price target on shares of Arbutus Biopharma in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Wall Street Zen lowered Arbutus Biopharma from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Arbutus Biopharma in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Arbutus Biopharma presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $5.00.

Arbutus Biopharma Stock Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $4.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $4.12. The company has a market cap of $787.55 million, a P/E ratio of -17.80 and a beta of 0.70.

Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.04) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.05) by $0.01. Arbutus Biopharma had a negative return on equity of 50.26% and a negative net margin of 289.79%.The business had revenue of $0.53 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.31 million. Research analysts predict that Arbutus Biopharma Corporation will post -0.39 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Arbutus Biopharma

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Oxford Asset Management LLP purchased a new position in Arbutus Biopharma in the second quarter worth about $38,000. Voleon Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Arbutus Biopharma during the third quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its holdings in Arbutus Biopharma by 3,911.1% in the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 15,844 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 15,449 shares during the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its position in Arbutus Biopharma by 71.5% in the 2nd quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 18,255 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 7,610 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Arbutus Biopharma in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $61,000. 43.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.