Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) Stock Price Up 5.5% - Still a Buy?

Shares of Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) shot up 5.5% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $5.71 and last traded at $5.81. 107,046 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 92% from the average session volume of 1,335,229 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.50.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on VIR. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Vir Biotechnology from $28.00 to $21.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $26.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley raised Vir Biotechnology from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $10.00 to $20.00 in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $19.00 target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Leerink Partners increased their target price on Vir Biotechnology from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vir Biotechnology currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $33.57.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Performance

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $6.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $8.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $846.45 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.58 and a beta of 1.14.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported ($0.76) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.85) by $0.09. The company had revenue of $12.37 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.14 million. Vir Biotechnology had a negative return on equity of 36.71% and a negative net margin of 678.40%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Vir Biotechnology, Inc. will post -3.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vir Biotechnology news, EVP Verneuil Vanina De sold 7,373 shares of Vir Biotechnology stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.14, for a total value of $67,389.22. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 79,460 shares in the company, valued at approximately $726,264.40. The trade was a 8.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Backer Marianne De sold 79,712 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.95, for a total transaction of $474,286.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 769,505 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,578,554.75. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 99,611 shares of company stock valued at $663,525 over the last quarter. Insiders own 15.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vir Biotechnology

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VIR. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Vir Biotechnology during the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 524.3% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,111 shares of the company's stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 5,972 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Vir Biotechnology in the 4th quarter valued at $60,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 31.8% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,288 shares of the company's stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 1,999 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 136.5% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 8,970 shares of the company's stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 5,177 shares in the last quarter. 65.32% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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).