Key Points
- Director Vicki Sato sold 42,377 shares at an average price of $9.75 on Feb. 24 for $413,175.75, reducing her stake by 3.57% to 1,144,391 shares (valued at about $11.16M).
- Strong quarterly beat and strategic collaboration: Vir reported Q4 EPS of ($0.31) vs. consensus ($0.42) and revenue of $64.07M (vs. $19.91M est.), and announced an Astellas collaboration for its prostate‑cancer asset that could bring up to ~$1.7B, prompting analyst upgrades and higher price targets.
- Dilutive offering and insider selling pressured the stock: the company priced 17,647,058 shares at $8.50 (~$150M), and multiple insiders sold shares, factors cited for the stock pullback (shares were down ~6.8%).
Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) CAO Brent Sabatini sold 1,430 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.53, for a total value of $13,627.90. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 69,613 shares of the company's stock, valued at $663,411.89. The trade was a 2.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.
Brent Sabatini also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Monday, February 23rd, Brent Sabatini sold 1,829 shares of Vir Biotechnology stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.45, for a total transaction of $13,626.05.
- On Friday, February 13th, Brent Sabatini sold 1,530 shares of Vir Biotechnology stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.79, for a total transaction of $11,918.70.
Vir Biotechnology Price Performance
NASDAQ VIR traded down $0.23 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $9.09. The company had a trading volume of 719,863 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,674,494. The company has a market capitalization of $1.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.89 and a beta of 1.69. Vir Biotechnology, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $4.16 and a fifty-two week high of $10.94. The firm's 50 day moving average is $6.95 and its 200 day moving average is $6.04.
Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported ($0.31) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.42) by $0.11. The business had revenue of $64.07 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.91 million. Vir Biotechnology had a negative net margin of 638.88% and a negative return on equity of 49.31%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 417.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.76) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Vir Biotechnology, Inc. will post -3.92 EPS for the current year.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Vir Biotechnology from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $15.00 price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Raymond James Financial raised shares of Vir Biotechnology from an "outperform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $19.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Leerink Partners restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $20.00 target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $19.89.
Get Our Latest Research Report on Vir Biotechnology
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vir Biotechnology
Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. ARCH Venture Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Vir Biotechnology during the 2nd quarter worth about $65,100,000. Aberdeen Group plc lifted its stake in Vir Biotechnology by 51.6% during the third quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 1,526,265 shares of the company's stock worth $8,715,000 after purchasing an additional 519,374 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc grew its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 812.7% in the 2nd quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 582,981 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,938,000 after purchasing an additional 519,107 shares during the period. Corton Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vir Biotechnology during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $114,000. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Vir Biotechnology in the second quarter valued at $63,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.32% of the company's stock.
Key Headlines Impacting Vir Biotechnology
Here are the key news stories impacting Vir Biotechnology this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Astellas strategic collaboration with Vir on the prostate‑cancer asset (VIR‑5500) includes up‑front/near‑term payments and up to about $1.7 billion in contingent milestones — a material de‑risking and commercialization path for a late‑stage asset. Read More.
- Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results beat expectations: Q4 revenue (~$64M) and EPS topped consensus, signaling improving commercial traction and supporting higher analyst enthusiasm. Read More.
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and target increases followed the news (Needham raised its target to $18), boosting upside sentiment despite current volatility. Read More.
- Neutral Sentiment: Management will present at investor conferences in early March (TD Cowen, Leerink), which can provide clarity but are not a fundamental catalyst by themselves. Read More.
- Neutral Sentiment: Comparative coverage and peer analyses are increasing visibility and trading volume (e.g., head‑to‑head pieces with peers), but they don’t change Vir’s underlying cash flow or pipeline. Read More.
- Negative Sentiment: Vir priced an underwritten offering of 17,647,058 shares at $8.50 (~$150M gross proceeds). The discounted placement strengthens the balance sheet but is dilutive and increases near‑term share supply, pressuring the stock. Read More.
- Negative Sentiment: Coverage noted the discounted offering as the proximate cause of the post‑rally pullback/tumble, amplifying short‑term selling. Read More.
- Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling was disclosed (multiple officers and a director reported sales last week), which—combined with the offering—added visible supply and negative sentiment. Read More.
About Vir Biotechnology
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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