Chardan Capital Reaffirms Buy Rating for Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS)

On March 31, 2025, Chardan Capital confirmed its buy rating on shares of Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS), as per a research report released on that date. The firm has set a target price of $5.00 for the biopharmaceutical company's stock. Chardan Capital has also projected that Arbutus Biopharma will report earnings per share (EPS) of ($0.30) for the fiscal year 2025.

Other research firms have provided their insights on ABUS as well. For instance, StockNews.com downgraded the company's rating from “hold” to “sell” on March 13th. Meanwhile, HC Wainwright reiterated its “buy” rating for the stock and maintained a price target of $5.00 in a report dated January 21st. Presently, one equity research analyst has issued a hold rating, while four analysts have managed to issue buy ratings. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the average rating for the company resides at “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $5.50.

Arbutus Biopharma Experiences Price Increase

On the trading day of the report, NASDAQ:ABUS opened at $3.50, marking a notable increase of 7.0%. The stock has reached a 50-day moving average of $3.34 and a 200-day moving average of $3.55. With a market capitalization of $663.22 million, the stock has a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of -8.14 and a beta of 1.93. Over the past year, Arbutus Biopharma has recorded a low of $2.30 and a high of $4.73.

On March 27th, Arbutus Biopharma released its latest financial results, reporting an EPS of ($0.07) for the quarter, which surpassed the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by $0.01. The company generated $1.57 million in revenue during the quarter, which fell short of analyst expectations of $2.20 million. Moreover, Arbutus Biopharma has recorded a negative return on equity of 68.18% and a significantly negative net margin of 1,137.65%. Analysts anticipate that the company will report an EPS of -0.39 for the current year.

Institutional Investors and Stock Activity

Various institutional investors and hedge funds have recently adjusted their positions in Arbutus Biopharma. For example, E Fund Management Co. Ltd. took a new position in the company during the fourth quarter, valued at approximately $34,000. Similarly, Xponance Inc. and Raymond James Financial Inc. also bought new stakes in the fourth quarter, each valued at around $34,000. Cibc World Markets Corp and Hsbc Holdings PLC also acquired new stakes valued at approximately $45,000 and $55,000, respectively. It is notable that institutional investors own approximately 43.79% of the stock.

About Arbutus Biopharma

Arbutus Biopharma Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative treatments for chronic Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections in the United States. The company’s HBV product pipeline includes imdusiran (AB-729), which is a proprietary RNAi therapeutic product candidate delivered subcutaneously, aimed at suppressing all HBV antigens, including HBsAg expression.

Buy, Rating, ABUS