Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Shares of Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the six research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $34.83.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on VIR shares. Leerink Partners increased their target price on Vir Biotechnology from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $28.00 to $26.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Vir Biotechnology from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the company from $10.00 to $20.00 in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $10.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Performance

NASDAQ:VIR traded down $0.48 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $9.37. The stock had a trading volume of 848,337 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,154,992. Vir Biotechnology has a twelve month low of $6.56 and a twelve month high of $14.45. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $9.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $8.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.39 and a beta of 0.64.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vir Biotechnology

In other news, Director Vicki L. Sato sold 10,960 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.52, for a total value of $137,219.20. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,312,391 shares in the company, valued at $16,431,135.32. This represents a 0.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 15.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vir Biotechnology

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VIR. Amundi increased its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 224.3% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 46,614 shares of the company's stock valued at $342,000 after purchasing an additional 32,241 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 31.8% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,288 shares of the company's stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 1,999 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 88,776 shares of the company's stock worth $652,000 after acquiring an additional 7,507 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 10.4% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,252,655 shares of the company's stock worth $9,194,000 after acquiring an additional 118,379 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Vir Biotechnology during the fourth quarter worth approximately $60,000. 65.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Vir Biotechnology

Vir Biotechnology, Inc, an immunology company, develops therapeutic products to treat and prevent serious infectious diseases. Its clinical development pipeline consists of product candidates targeting hepatitis delta virus (HDV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The company's preclinical candidates include those targeting influenza A and B, coronavirus disease 2019, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (MPV), and human papillomavirus (HPV).