Vicki Sato Sells 22,000 Shares of Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) Stock

Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) Director Vicki Sato sold 22,000 shares of Vir Biotechnology stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.51, for a total value of $209,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,122,391 shares in the company, valued at $10,673,938.41. This trade represents a 1.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Performance

Shares of Vir Biotechnology stock opened at $9.56 on Thursday. Vir Biotechnology, Inc. has a 52-week low of $4.16 and a 52-week high of $10.94. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $7.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $6.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.03 and a beta of 1.65.

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

Institutional Trading of Vir Biotechnology

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 2,088.4% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 268,297 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,739,000 after acquiring an additional 256,037 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Vir Biotechnology in the first quarter worth about $359,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased 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 valued at $4,813,000 after purchasing an additional 225,544 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP lifted its holdings 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 valued at $3,024,000 after purchasing an additional 331,701 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 15.3% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 19,317 shares of the company’s stock worth $125,000 after purchasing an additional 2,566 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.32% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Vir Biotechnology from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $18.00 target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Leerink Partners reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $20.00 price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vir Biotechnology presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $20.44.

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.