Vir Biotechnology Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:VIR)

Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Investors purchased 6,039 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 3,651% compared to the average daily volume of 161 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $19.00 price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $36.80.

Insider Activity at Vir Biotechnology

In other news, Director Janet Napolitano sold 12,190 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.80, for a total value of $95,082.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,616 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $90,604.80. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 15.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in VIR. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 64.4% during the 3rd quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 26,280 shares of the company’s stock worth $197,000 after buying an additional 10,294 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 143.5% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,989 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 2,351 shares during the period. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new stake in Vir Biotechnology in the third quarter valued at approximately $56,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its holdings in Vir Biotechnology by 27.8% in the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 57,446 shares of the company’s stock worth $430,000 after purchasing an additional 12,511 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 491.7% during the second quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 18,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $169,000 after purchasing an additional 15,755 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.32% of the company’s stock.

Vir Biotechnology Trading Up 23.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:VIR opened at $9.26 on Friday. Vir Biotechnology has a 1-year low of $7.12 and a 1-year high of $13.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.27 billion, a P/E ratio of -2.59 and a beta of 0.46. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $7.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $8.87.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported ($1.56) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.96) by ($0.60). Vir Biotechnology had a negative return on equity of 30.93% and a negative net margin of 612.40%. The business had revenue of $2.38 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.54 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($1.22) earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Vir Biotechnology will post -3.26 EPS for the current year.

Vir Biotechnology Company Profile

Vir Biotechnology, Inc, an immunology company, develops therapeutic products to treat and prevent serious infectious diseases. Its clinical development pipeline consists of product candidates targeting hepatitis delta virus (HDV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The company’s preclinical candidates include those targeting influenza A and B, coronavirus disease 2019, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (MPV), and human papillomavirus (HPV).