Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Hold” Rating

Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Wednesday.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. JMP Securities boosted their price target on Arbutus Biopharma to $5.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Chardan Capital restated a “buy” rating and set a $5.00 price objective (up from $4.50) on shares of Arbutus Biopharma in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and issued a $5.00 target price on shares of Arbutus Biopharma in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $5.50.

Arbutus Biopharma Price Performance

NASDAQ ABUS opened at $3.37 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $3.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $3.65. Arbutus Biopharma has a 52-week low of $2.30 and a 52-week high of $4.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $638.59 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.84 and a beta of 1.93.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Arbutus Biopharma

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ABUS. Whitefort Capital Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Whitefort Capital Management LP now owns 13,241,916 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $43,301,000 after buying an additional 373,949 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Arbutus Biopharma by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,980,864 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $29,367,000 after acquiring an additional 62,282 shares in the last quarter. Two Seas Capital LP raised its stake in Arbutus Biopharma by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Two Seas Capital LP now owns 8,740,956 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $28,583,000 after acquiring an additional 353,568 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 50.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,407,133 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $16,967,000 after acquiring an additional 1,472,652 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,482,136 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $11,390,000 after purchasing an additional 33,536 shares in the last quarter. 43.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Arbutus Biopharma Company Profile

Arbutus Biopharma Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company, develops novel therapeutics for chronic Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in the United States. Its HBV product pipeline consists of imdusiran (AB-729), a proprietary subcutaneously-delivered RNAi therapeutic product candidate that suppresses all HBV antigens, including HBsAg expression.