Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

Arbutus Biopharma Corporation (NASDAQ:ABUS) shares gapped up prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $4.56, but opened at $4.74. Arbutus Biopharma shares last traded at $4.7150, with a volume of 243,119 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Arbutus Biopharma from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Arbutus Biopharma in a report on Monday, April 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $5.00.

Arbutus Biopharma Trading Down 3.8%

The company has a market capitalization of $900.78 million, a P/E ratio of 5.49 and a beta of 0.62. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $4.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $4.43.

Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter. Arbutus Biopharma had a net margin of 83.95% and a return on equity of 129.32%. The business had revenue of $179.13 million for the quarter. Analysts anticipate that Arbutus Biopharma Corporation will post -0.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Arbutus Biopharma

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 290.3% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,075,948 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $7,245,000 after acquiring an additional 1,544,070 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in Arbutus Biopharma by 5.1% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 124,486 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $385,000 after purchasing an additional 6,089 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in Arbutus Biopharma by 3.5% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 207,805 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $642,000 after purchasing an additional 7,048 shares in the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 71.5% during the 2nd quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 18,255 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 7,610 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 29.8% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 181,084 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $560,000 after purchasing an additional 41,622 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 43.79% of the company’s stock.

About Arbutus Biopharma

Arbutus Biopharma Corporation is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing and advancing a cure for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The company’s pipeline features both direct-acting antivirals and host-targeting therapies designed to reduce viral load and restore immune function. Lead programs include an RNA interference (RNAi) candidate aimed at silencing viral gene expression and next-generation capsid assembly modulators that seek to inhibit viral replication at its core.

In addition to its antiviral portfolio, Arbutus leverages proprietary lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery technology to optimize the distribution and cellular uptake of nucleic acid therapeutics.