HC Wainwright Raises Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) Price Target to $20.00

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) had its price objective increased by research analysts at HC Wainwright from $15.00 to $20.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. HC Wainwright’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 119.78% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also commented on VIR. Leerink Partners reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $20.00 price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Wall Street Zen raised Vir Biotechnology from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $18.00 target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vir Biotechnology has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $20.44.

Vir Biotechnology Trading Down 4.8%

Vir Biotechnology stock opened at $9.10 on Wednesday. Vir Biotechnology has a 1-year low of $4.16 and a 1-year high of $10.94. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $7.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $6.20. The company has a market capitalization of $1.27 billion, a P/E ratio of -2.88 and a beta of 1.65.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported ($0.31) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.11. Vir Biotechnology had a negative net margin of 638.88% and a negative return on equity of 49.31%. The firm had revenue of $64.07 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.91 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.76) earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 417.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vir Biotechnology will post -3.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Vicki L. Sato sold 42,377 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.75, for a total value of $413,175.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,144,391 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,157,812.25. This represents a 3.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Backer Marianne De sold 19,039 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.45, for a total value of $141,840.55. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,035,466 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,714,221.70. This represents a 1.81% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 177,546 shares of company stock worth $1,522,174 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 16.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VIR. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 25.9% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 6,761 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,390 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 23.0% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 8,804 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 1,646 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 23,525 shares of the company’s stock valued at $142,000 after purchasing an additional 1,705 shares during the last quarter. Clarius Group LLC boosted its position in Vir Biotechnology by 0.3% in the third quarter. Clarius Group LLC now owns 619,312 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,536,000 after buying an additional 1,777 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in Vir Biotechnology by 1.0% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 228,949 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,154,000 after buying an additional 2,300 shares in the last quarter. 65.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.