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

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

VIR has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Leerink Partners increased their price objective on Vir Biotechnology from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Morgan Stanley set a $25.00 price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $20.62.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Performance

Vir Biotechnology stock opened at $8.82 on Friday. Vir Biotechnology has a fifty-two week low of $4.16 and a fifty-two week high of $11.66. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $9.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $9.06. The stock has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.74 and a beta of 1.66.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $238.95 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $135.88 million. Vir Biotechnology had a negative return on equity of 29.99% and a negative net margin of 638.88%.The business’s revenue was up 19582.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.80) EPS. On average, analysts predict that Vir Biotechnology will post -2.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vir Biotechnology

In related news, Director Janet Napolitano sold 3,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.45, for a total transaction of $30,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 21,216 shares in the company, valued at approximately $200,491.20. The trade was a 13.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vir Biotechnology

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Vir Biotechnology during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $210,712,000. GSK plc purchased a new position in shares of Vir Biotechnology in the fourth quarter worth $51,562,000. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 988,262 shares during the last quarter. ADAR1 Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Vir Biotechnology during the first quarter valued at $24,593,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 1.7% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,579,678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,107,000 after acquiring an additional 43,401 shares in the last quarter. 65.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Vir Biotechnology

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.