Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $21.5714.

Several research firms have weighed in on VIR. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Morgan Stanley set a $25.00 price target on Vir Biotechnology in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Leerink Partners raised their price objective on Vir Biotechnology from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Vir Biotechnology from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vir Biotechnology

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Vir Biotechnology by 2,088.4% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 268,297 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,739,000 after purchasing an additional 256,037 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Vir Biotechnology in the first quarter valued at approximately $359,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 43.6% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 742,674 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,813,000 after buying an additional 225,544 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 245.6% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 466,737 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,024,000 after buying an additional 331,701 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth increased its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 15.3% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 19,317 shares of the company’s stock worth $125,000 after buying an additional 2,566 shares in the last quarter. 65.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vir Biotechnology Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:VIR opened at $11.39 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $9.74 and a 200-day moving average of $9.44. Vir Biotechnology has a 12 month low of $4.75 and a 12 month high of $11.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.93 billion, a PE ratio of -6.12 and a beta of 1.63.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $238.95 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $135.88 million. Vir Biotechnology had a negative net margin of 638.88% and a negative return on equity of 29.99%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 19582.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($0.80) EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Vir Biotechnology will post -1.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.