Analysts Set Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) Price Target at $20.44

Shares of Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $20.4444.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Vir Biotechnology from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price target on Vir Biotechnology from $14.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Barclays lifted their price target on Vir Biotechnology from $26.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. HC Wainwright upped their price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $15.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $18.00 price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VIR opened at $9.68 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.06 and a beta of 1.65. Vir Biotechnology has a 1-year low of $4.16 and a 1-year high of $10.94. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $7.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $6.48.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported ($0.31) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.42) by $0.11. The company had revenue of $64.07 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.91 million. Vir Biotechnology had a negative return on equity of 49.31% and a negative net margin of 638.88%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 417.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.76) EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Vir Biotechnology will post -3.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Vicki L. Sato sold 22,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.51, for a total value of $209,220.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 1,122,391 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,673,938.41. This represents a 1.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Backer Marianne De sold 14,762 shares of Vir Biotechnology stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.53, for a total transaction of $140,681.86. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,020,704 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,727,309.12. The trade was a 1.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 177,546 shares of company stock worth $1,522,174 over the last 90 days. 16.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VIR. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in Vir Biotechnology by 25.9% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 6,761 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 1,390 shares during the period. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Vir Biotechnology during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Vir Biotechnology during the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 1,418.7% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 7,062 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 6,597 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 153.8% in the 3rd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 8,085 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 4,899 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.32% of the company’s stock.

Vir Biotechnology Company Profile

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.