Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) Downgraded to Hold Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday morning.

Separately, Weiss Ratings raised Arbutus Biopharma from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Arbutus Biopharma currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $5.00.

Arbutus Biopharma Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:ABUS opened at $4.67 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $4.56 and a 200-day moving average of $4.42. Arbutus Biopharma has a 12 month low of $3.31 and a 12 month high of $5.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $923.96 million, a PE ratio of 5.91 and a beta of 0.64.

Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.03) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by ($0.01). Arbutus Biopharma had a return on equity of 90.98% and a net margin of 84.22%.The firm had revenue of $1.01 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $0.70 million.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ABUS. Cibc World Markets Corp bought a new stake in shares of Arbutus Biopharma during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in Arbutus Biopharma during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $44,000. Voleon Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Arbutus Biopharma during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $47,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Arbutus Biopharma in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, Amundi bought a new position in Arbutus Biopharma in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $57,000. 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.