Vontobel Holding Ltd. Decreases Stake in Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. reduced its position in Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 55,241 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,205 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in Vir Biotechnology were worth $405,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its position in Vir Biotechnology by 33.0% in the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 202,441 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,485,000 after buying an additional 50,199 shares during the last quarter. abrdn plc bought a new position in shares of Vir Biotechnology during the fourth quarter worth about $2,666,000. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 11.1% during the fourth quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 29,202 shares of the company’s stock worth $214,000 after purchasing an additional 2,922 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 136.5% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 8,970 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 5,177 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 1.3% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 550,186 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,121,000 after purchasing an additional 7,287 shares during the last quarter. 65.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vir Biotechnology

In other Vir Biotechnology news, Director Vicki L. Sato sold 10,960 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the director now owns 1,312,391 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,431,135.32. This trade represents a 0.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director George A. Scangos sold 10,964 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.81, for a total transaction of $107,556.84. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 708,295 shares in the company, valued at $6,948,373.95. The trade was a 1.52 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 23,562 shares of company stock worth $259,693. 15.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on VIR. Leerink Partners increased their price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Vir Biotechnology from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $10.00 to $20.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $28.00 to $26.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vir Biotechnology presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.83.

Vir Biotechnology Stock Down 0.5 %

VIR opened at $9.80 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.50 and a beta of 0.64. Vir Biotechnology, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $6.56 and a fifty-two week high of $14.45. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $9.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $8.48.

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).