Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) Shares Sold by D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. lowered its position in Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) by 46.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 502,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 428,655 shares during the quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned about 0.36% of Vir Biotechnology worth $3,685,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury increased its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 39,268 shares of the company’s stock valued at $288,000 after acquiring an additional 1,227 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 236,681 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,737,000 after acquiring an additional 1,288 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 31.8% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,288 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 1,999 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 26,440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $194,000 after acquiring an additional 2,556 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Vir Biotechnology by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 398,772 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,927,000 after acquiring an additional 2,574 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.32% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VIR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $28.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $19.00 to $14.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Vir Biotechnology from $26.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.86.

Insider Transactions at Vir Biotechnology

In other news, CEO Backer Marianne De sold 79,712 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.95, for a total transaction of $474,286.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 769,505 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,578,554.75. This represents a 9.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Verneuil Vanina De sold 7,373 shares of Vir Biotechnology stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.14, for a total transaction of $67,389.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 79,460 shares in the company, valued at $726,264.40. This trade represents a 8.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 98,049 shares of company stock worth $649,232. 15.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Vir Biotechnology Trading Up 1.1%

Vir Biotechnology stock opened at $4.60 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $635.89 million, a P/E ratio of -1.17 and a beta of 1.36. Vir Biotechnology, Inc. has a 1-year low of $4.32 and a 1-year high of $14.45. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $5.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $7.84.

Vir Biotechnology (NASDAQ:VIR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.88) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.83) by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $3.03 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.59 million. Vir Biotechnology had a negative return on equity of 36.71% and a negative net margin of 678.40%. Vir Biotechnology’s quarterly revenue was down 94.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.48) EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vir Biotechnology, Inc. will post -3.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Vir Biotechnology 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).