Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) Shares Gap Up – Should You Buy?

Arbutus Biopharma Corporation (NASDAQ:ABUS)’s share price gapped up before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $4.56, but opened at $4.74. Arbutus Biopharma shares last traded at $4.7150, with a volume of 243,119 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Arbutus Biopharma from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Arbutus Biopharma in a research report on Monday, April 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Arbutus Biopharma has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $5.00.

Arbutus Biopharma Trading Up 3.2%

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $4.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $4.43. The firm has a market cap of $929.43 million, a PE ratio of 5.67 and a beta of 0.62.

Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter. Arbutus Biopharma had a return on equity of 129.32% and a net margin of 83.95%.The firm had revenue of $179.13 million during the quarter. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Arbutus Biopharma Corporation will post -0.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Rubric Capital Management LP raised its stake in Arbutus Biopharma by 320.6% during the first quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 6,626,389 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $29,819,000 after purchasing an additional 5,051,013 shares in the last quarter. ADAR1 Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 86.5% in the 4th quarter. ADAR1 Capital Management LLC now owns 5,415,109 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $26,047,000 after buying an additional 2,511,883 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 9.2% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 26,702,776 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $128,440,000 after buying an additional 2,252,164 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 44.2% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,908,211 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $28,418,000 after buying an additional 1,809,893 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Seas Capital LP raised its position in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 14.5% during the 4th quarter. Two Seas Capital LP now owns 12,589,158 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $60,554,000 after buying an additional 1,597,897 shares in the last quarter. 43.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.