Vicki Sato Sells 42,377 Shares of Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) Stock

Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) Director Vicki Sato sold 42,377 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.75, for a total transaction of $413,175.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 1,144,391 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,157,812.25. This represents a 3.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Vir Biotechnology Trading Down 2.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:VIR opened at $9.09 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.27 billion, a P/E ratio of -2.88 and a beta of 1.69. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $7.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $6.07. Vir Biotechnology, Inc. has a 12-month low of $4.16 and a 12-month high of $10.94.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported ($0.31) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.42) by $0.11. Vir Biotechnology had a negative return on equity of 49.31% and a negative net margin of 638.88%.The company had revenue of $64.07 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.91 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.76) EPS. Vir Biotechnology’s revenue for the quarter was up 417.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Vir Biotechnology, Inc. will post -3.92 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vir Biotechnology

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology during the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Vir Biotechnology in the third quarter worth about $38,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in 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 worth $41,000 after buying an additional 1,390 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in Vir Biotechnology by 1,418.7% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 7,062 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 6,597 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 153.8% during the 3rd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 8,085 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 4,899 shares during the period. 65.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on VIR shares. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $18.00 target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Vir Biotechnology from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Vir Biotechnology from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $19.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on Vir Biotechnology from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $19.89.

More Vir Biotechnology News

Here are the key news stories impacting Vir Biotechnology this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Astellas agreed to a collaboration on Vir’s prostate‑cancer asset (VIR‑5500) that includes up‑front and potential milestone payments totaling up to ~$1.7B, materially de‑risking that program and improving commercialization prospects. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results surprised to the upside: EPS and roughly $64M revenue beat consensus, signaling stronger commercial traction and likely underpinning recent analyst optimism. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have raised targets and ratings following the results and deal flow (Needham moved its target to $18), supporting upside from fundamentals despite volatility. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management will present at TD Cowen and Leerink in early March — useful for additional color and Q&A but not an immediate earnings/cash catalyst. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Increased media/peer comparisons (head‑to‑head coverage) have raised visibility and trading volume; this can amplify moves but doesn’t change Vir’s underlying cashflow or pipeline. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Vir priced an underwritten offering of 17,647,058 shares at $8.50 (~$150M gross), which strengthens the balance sheet but is dilutive and increased near‑term share supply — a clear short‑term negative for the stock. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Market coverage singled out the discounted offering as the proximate cause of the post‑rally pullback, triggering selling and higher volatility. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insider sales were disclosed last week (including CEO and other senior officers/directors), increasing visible supply and feeding negative sentiment alongside the offering. Individual filings and summaries are available in SEC/insider reports. Read More.

Vir Biotechnology Company Profile

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.