Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) Upgraded to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Saturday morning.

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Arbutus Biopharma in a research note on Monday, April 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Arbutus Biopharma currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $5.00.

Arbutus Biopharma Price Performance

Shares of Arbutus Biopharma stock opened at $4.24 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $4.40 and a 200-day moving average of $4.43. The company has a market capitalization of $837.57 million, a PE ratio of 5.11 and a beta of 0.62. Arbutus Biopharma has a 1-year low of $3.04 and a 1-year high of $5.10.

Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $179.13 million during the quarter. Arbutus Biopharma had a return on equity of 129.32% and a net margin of 83.95%. On average, equities analysts expect that Arbutus Biopharma will post -0.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Arbutus Biopharma

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Western Standard LLC bought a new position in shares of Arbutus Biopharma during the third quarter worth about $2,306,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of Arbutus Biopharma during the third quarter worth about $300,000. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC bought a new position in shares of Arbutus Biopharma during the third quarter worth about $333,000. Voleon Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Arbutus Biopharma during the third quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, Oxford Asset Management LLP bought a new position in shares of Arbutus Biopharma during the second quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors own 43.79% of the company’s stock.

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.