Aberdeen Group plc Lowers Stake in Arbutus Biopharma Corporation $ABUS

Aberdeen Group plc cut its stake in Arbutus Biopharma Corporation (NASDAQ:ABUS) by 18.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 799,979 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 182,548 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc owned about 0.42% of Arbutus Biopharma worth $3,632,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in Arbutus Biopharma by 290.3% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,075,948 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $7,245,000 after buying an additional 1,544,070 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. raised its stake in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 63.5% during the second quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 2,575,941 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $7,960,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000,000 shares in the last quarter. Two Seas Capital LP raised its stake in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 10.3% during the second quarter. Two Seas Capital LP now owns 10,443,317 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $32,270,000 after acquiring an additional 977,361 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 161.4% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,197,655 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $3,701,000 after purchasing an additional 739,429 shares during the period. Finally, BlackBarn Capital Partners LP grew its stake in Arbutus Biopharma by 11.2% in the second quarter. BlackBarn Capital Partners LP now owns 2,603,521 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $8,045,000 after purchasing an additional 261,650 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 43.79% of the company’s stock.

Arbutus Biopharma Stock Up 0.7%

ABUS opened at $4.27 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $821.21 million, a P/E ratio of -18.57 and a beta of 0.71. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $4.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $4.28. Arbutus Biopharma Corporation has a 52-week low of $2.70 and a 52-week high of $5.10.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Arbutus Biopharma from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 15th. Chardan Capital restated a “buy” rating and issued a $5.00 price objective on shares of Arbutus Biopharma in a report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Arbutus Biopharma in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Arbutus Biopharma has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $5.00.

Arbutus Biopharma Profile

Arbutus Biopharma Corporation is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing and advancing a cure for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The company’s pipeline features both direct-acting antivirals and host-targeting therapies designed to reduce viral load and restore immune function. Lead programs include an RNA interference (RNAi) candidate aimed at silencing viral gene expression and next-generation capsid assembly modulators that seek to inhibit viral replication at its core.

In addition to its antiviral portfolio, Arbutus leverages proprietary lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery technology to optimize the distribution and cellular uptake of nucleic acid therapeutics.