China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. Acquires 2,922 Shares of Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR)

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) by 11.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 29,202 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,922 shares during the period. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Vir Biotechnology were worth $214,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in VIR. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 143.5% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Vir Biotechnology in the third quarter worth about $56,000. KBC Group NV boosted its position in Vir Biotechnology by 136.5% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 8,970 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 5,177 shares in the last quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vir Biotechnology during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $135,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors bought a new position in shares of Vir Biotechnology in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $118,000. 65.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on VIR. Leerink Partners lifted their price target on Vir Biotechnology from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Friday. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $28.00 to $26.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $10.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of Vir Biotechnology from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $10.00 to $20.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vir Biotechnology currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.83.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Performance

Shares of VIR stock opened at $10.40 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.65 and a beta of 0.51. Vir Biotechnology, Inc. has a one year low of $6.56 and a one year high of $14.45. The company’s 50-day moving average is $8.81 and its 200 day moving average is $8.50.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported ($1.56) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.05) by ($0.51). Vir Biotechnology had a negative net margin of 678.40% and a negative return on equity of 36.71%. The firm had revenue of $2.38 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.54 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($1.22) EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Vir Biotechnology, Inc. will post -3.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vir Biotechnology

In other Vir Biotechnology news, Director Vicki L. Sato sold 10,960 shares of Vir Biotechnology stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.52, for a total value of $137,219.20. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,312,391 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,431,135.32. The trade was a 0.83 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In the last three months, insiders have sold 13,383 shares of company stock worth $160,070. Insiders own 15.60% of the company’s stock.

About Vir Biotechnology

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).