Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) Shares Up 5.7% – Should You Buy?

Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR)’s share price rose 5.7% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $10.06 and last traded at $10.12. 520,689 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 2,713,973 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.57.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on VIR. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Wall Street Zen cut Vir Biotechnology from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Leerink Partners boosted their target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. HC Wainwright increased their target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $23.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $20.88.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Down 2.1%

The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $9.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $8.32. The company has a market cap of $1.68 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.18 and a beta of 1.65.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported ($0.85) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.01) by ($0.84). Vir Biotechnology had a negative net margin of 638.88% and a negative return on equity of 53.31%. The business had revenue of ($0.03) million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.49 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.88) earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vir Biotechnology, Inc. will post -1.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Janet Napolitano sold 3,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.45, for a total value of $30,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 21,216 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $200,491.20. This trade represents a 13.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Vicki L. Sato sold 22,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.05, for a total transaction of $221,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,078,391 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,837,829.55. This trade represents a 2.00% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 120,138 shares of company stock valued at $1,119,102 over the last three months. 2.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vir Biotechnology

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VIR. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Vir Biotechnology during the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology during the third quarter worth approximately $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 valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 1,390 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 1,418.7% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 23.0% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 8,804 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 1,646 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.32% of the company’s stock.

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.