Needham & Company LLC Issues Positive Forecast for Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) Stock Price

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) had its target price raised by Needham & Company LLC from $14.00 to $18.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday, MarketBeat reports. Needham & Company LLC currently has a buy rating on the stock.

A number of other research firms have also commented on VIR. Barclays set a $26.00 price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Raymond James Financial raised shares of Vir Biotechnology from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $19.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and issued a $15.00 target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $19.88.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VIR opened at $9.49 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.32 billion, a PE ratio of -3.00 and a beta of 1.69. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $6.80 and a 200-day moving average of $5.99. Vir Biotechnology has a one year low of $4.16 and a one year high of $10.29.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported ($0.31) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.11. Vir Biotechnology had a negative return on equity of 47.14% and a negative net margin of 638.88%.The business had revenue of $64.07 million during 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. Vir Biotechnology’s revenue was up 417.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Vir Biotechnology will post -3.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vir Biotechnology

In other Vir Biotechnology news, CEO Backer Marianne De sold 19,039 shares of Vir Biotechnology stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $7,714,221.70. The trade was a 1.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Vicki L. Sato sold 22,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.71, for a total transaction of $169,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 1,144,391 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,823,254.61. This represents a 1.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 350,368 shares of company stock worth $2,207,008 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 16.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vir Biotechnology

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 2,088.4% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 268,297 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,739,000 after acquiring an additional 256,037 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vir Biotechnology in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $359,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 43.6% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 742,674 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,813,000 after purchasing an additional 225,544 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP boosted its position in Vir Biotechnology by 245.6% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 466,737 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,024,000 after purchasing an additional 331,701 shares during the period. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth grew its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 15.3% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 19,317 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,000 after purchasing an additional 2,566 shares during the last quarter. 65.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Vir Biotechnology

Here are the key news stories impacting Vir Biotechnology this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Astellas strategic collaboration: Vir announced a global co‑development/co‑commercialization collaboration with Astellas for prostate cancer candidate VIR‑5500 that includes $335M upfront/near‑term payments, up to $1.37B in additional milestones, a 50/50 U.S. profit/loss split, Astellas leading U.S. commercialization and ex‑U.S. rights, plus tiered double‑digit ex‑U.S. royalties — a major de‑risking and validation event for the program. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Encouraging Phase 1 VIR‑5500 data: Updated trial results show a favorable safety profile and meaningful activity (reported ORR ~45% at higher doses in later cohorts), supporting the value of the asset and underpinning the Astellas deal. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly beat and strong revenue growth: Q4 EPS of ($0.31) beat estimates and revenue of $64.1M significantly exceeded the consensus (~$19.9M), with revenue up ~418% year‑over‑year — evidence of commercial traction and stronger near‑term financial performance. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade: Needham raised its price target to $18 and maintained a buy rating, adding institutional validation and support for higher upside expectations. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broad media coverage and analyst commentary: Multiple outlets (Forbes, Seeking Alpha, MSN) are highlighting the deal, data and earnings beat — amplifying attention and trading volume but not adding new fundamentals. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Company disclosures and materials: Earnings call transcript and slide deck provide more color on pipeline prioritization (HDV, oncology) and capital deployment plans. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Proposed public offering: Vir filed to sell additional shares, which can be dilutive and weigh on near‑term share price despite the cash proceeds. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing losses and wide negative margins: The company reported a large 2025 net loss (and very negative margins), so long‑term value depends on successful development/commercial execution and milestone/cash management. Read More.

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.