Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.90 EPS

Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.03) by $0.90, FiscalAI reports. Arbutus Biopharma had a negative net margin of 237.88% and a negative return on equity of 42.39%. The company had revenue of $179.13 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $0.75 million.

Arbutus Biopharma Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ABUS remained flat at $4.31 during mid-day trading on Wednesday. 1,561,200 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,067,614. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $4.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $4.43. Arbutus Biopharma has a 52-week low of $2.94 and a 52-week high of $5.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $848.81 million, a P/E ratio of -25.35 and a beta of 0.62.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Arbutus Biopharma in a research note on Monday, April 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $5.00.

Institutional Trading of Arbutus Biopharma

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ABUS. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 17.9% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 247,254 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,189,000 after buying an additional 37,616 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its holdings in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 15.8% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 45,120 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $217,000 after buying an additional 6,161 shares during the period. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC lifted its position in Arbutus Biopharma by 77.7% during the 4th quarter. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC now owns 56,483 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $272,000 after acquiring an additional 24,699 shares in the last quarter. Oxford Asset Management LLP acquired a new position in Arbutus Biopharma during the 4th quarter worth approximately $104,000. Finally, Man Group plc boosted its holdings in Arbutus Biopharma by 52.2% in the 4th quarter. Man Group plc now owns 120,821 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $581,000 after acquiring an additional 41,447 shares during the period. 43.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Arbutus Biopharma Company Profile

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.