Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) Short Interest Up 20.0% in January

Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) saw a large growth in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,860,000 shares, a growth of 20.0% from the December 31st total of 6,550,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,140,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.7 days. Currently, 9.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on VIR shares. Leerink Partners increased their price objective on Vir Biotechnology from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Morgan Stanley raised Vir Biotechnology from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $10.00 to $20.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $10.00 to $14.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Barclays reduced their price target on Vir Biotechnology from $28.00 to $26.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $19.00 price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $34.83.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Performance

Shares of VIR stock traded up $0.35 on Wednesday, hitting $10.05. The stock had a trading volume of 980,191 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,402,443. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.56 and a beta of 0.63. Vir Biotechnology has a 52-week low of $6.56 and a 52-week high of $14.45. The stock's 50 day moving average is $8.90 and its 200-day moving average is $8.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vir Biotechnology

In other Vir Biotechnology 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 transaction of $137,219.20. Following the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 15.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vir Biotechnology

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Vir Biotechnology by 143.5% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,989 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 2,351 shares during the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new position in Vir Biotechnology in the 3rd quarter worth about $56,000. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 136.5% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 8,970 shares of the company's stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 5,177 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $74,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors acquired a new position in Vir Biotechnology in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $118,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.32% of the company's stock.

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).