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 recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the six analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $35.67.

Several equities research analysts have commented on VIR shares. Morgan Stanley upgraded Vir Biotechnology from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $10.00 to $20.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $26.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $19.00 price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Vir Biotechnology from $10.00 to $14.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vir Biotechnology

In other news, EVP Verneuil Vanina De sold 7,373 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.14, for a total transaction of $67,389.22. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 79,460 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $726,264.40. This trade represents a 8.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director George A. Scangos sold 10,964 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.81, for a total transaction of $107,556.84. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 708,295 shares in the company, valued at $6,948,373.95. This represents a 1.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 30,859 shares of company stock valued at $326,458 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 15.60% of the company's stock.

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Institutional Trading of Vir Biotechnology

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VIR. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 10.4% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,625,533 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,135,000 after buying an additional 530,645 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,196,601 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,127,000 after purchasing an additional 7,827 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Vir Biotechnology by 58.0% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,915,465 shares of the company's stock worth $14,059,000 after purchasing an additional 703,360 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 55.3% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,715,083 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,589,000 after buying an additional 610,367 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,252,655 shares of the company's stock worth $9,194,000 after buying an additional 118,379 shares during the period. 65.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vir Biotechnology Price Performance

NASDAQ:VIR traded up $0.33 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $6.51. The company's stock had a trading volume of 470,595 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,311,712. Vir Biotechnology has a twelve month low of $6.08 and a twelve month high of $14.45. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $8.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $8.33. The stock has a market cap of $892.80 million, a P/E ratio of -1.66 and a beta of 1.17.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported ($0.76) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.85) by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $12.37 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.14 million. Vir Biotechnology had a negative net margin of 678.40% and a negative return on equity of 36.71%. Sell-side analysts expect that Vir Biotechnology will post -3.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vir Biotechnology Company Profile

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).