Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) Upgraded to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Saturday.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on the company. Barclays boosted their price objective on Vir Biotechnology from $26.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on Vir Biotechnology from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and issued a $15.00 price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $18.00 price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $19.89.

Vir Biotechnology Price Performance

VIR opened at $9.09 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $7.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $6.08. The firm has a market cap of $1.27 billion, a P/E ratio of -2.88 and a beta of 1.69. Vir Biotechnology has a 1-year low of $4.16 and a 1-year high of $10.94.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported ($0.31) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $64.07 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.91 million. Vir Biotechnology had a negative net margin of 638.88% and a negative return on equity of 49.31%. The company’s revenue was up 417.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.76) EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Vir Biotechnology will post -3.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vir Biotechnology

In other news, Director Vicki L. Sato sold 42,377 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.75, for a total value of $413,175.75. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,144,391 shares in the company, valued at $11,157,812.25. The trade was a 3.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Backer Marianne De sold 14,762 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.53, for a total transaction of $140,681.86. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,020,704 shares in the company, valued at $9,727,309.12. This represents a 1.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 369,400 shares of company stock worth $2,592,241 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 16.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vir Biotechnology

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VIR. ARCH Venture Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Vir Biotechnology during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $65,100,000. GSK plc bought a new stake in Vir Biotechnology in the fourth quarter worth $51,562,000. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 18.9% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,229,555 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,564,000 after buying an additional 988,262 shares during the period. Orbimed Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 5.9% during the second quarter. Orbimed Advisors LLC now owns 2,380,715 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,999,000 after buying an additional 132,466 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Vir Biotechnology by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,328,207 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,041,000 after acquiring an additional 81,985 shares during the last quarter. 65.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vir Biotechnology News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Vir Biotechnology this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Astellas agreed to a collaboration on Vir’s prostate‑cancer asset (VIR‑5500) that includes up‑front and potential milestone payments totaling up to ~$1.7B, materially de‑risking that program and improving commercialization prospects. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results surprised to the upside: EPS and roughly $64M revenue beat consensus, signaling stronger commercial traction and likely underpinning recent analyst optimism. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have raised targets and ratings following the results and deal flow (Needham moved its target to $18), supporting upside from fundamentals despite volatility. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management will present at TD Cowen and Leerink in early March — useful for additional color and Q&A but not an immediate earnings/cash catalyst. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Increased media/peer comparisons (head‑to‑head coverage) have raised visibility and trading volume; this can amplify moves but doesn’t change Vir’s underlying cashflow or pipeline. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Vir priced an underwritten offering of 17,647,058 shares at $8.50 (~$150M gross), which strengthens the balance sheet but is dilutive and increased near‑term share supply — a clear short‑term negative for the stock. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Market coverage singled out the discounted offering as the proximate cause of the post‑rally pullback, triggering selling and higher volatility. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insider sales were disclosed last week (including CEO and other senior officers/directors), increasing visible supply and feeding negative sentiment alongside the offering. Individual filings and summaries are available in SEC/insider reports. Read More.

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.