Valneva (NASDAQ:VALN) Shares Gap Up - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Valneva shares opened higher, rising from a prior close of $6.30 to $6.60 and last trading at $6.67.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: two analysts rate the stock Buy and two rate it Sell, resulting in a consensus Hold rating and a $9.30 price target. TD Cowen is the most bullish, with a $12 target.
• The company reported weaker-than-expected quarterly results, including an EPS loss of $0.40 versus the $0.19 expected and revenue of $39.37 million versus $44.17 million forecast; analysts expect a full-year loss of $1.27 per share.

Valneva SE Sponsored ADR (NASDAQ:VALN - Get Free Report)'s share price gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $6.30, but opened at $6.60. Valneva shares last traded at $6.67, with a volume of 8,909 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on VALN. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (e+)" rating on shares of Valneva in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Wall Street Zen raised Valneva from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Finally, TD Cowen initiated coverage on Valneva in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $12.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $9.30.

Valneva Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $620.58 million, a PE ratio of -3.10 and a beta of 1.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.04. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $5.55 and a 200-day moving average of $6.70.

Valneva (NASDAQ:VALN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The company reported ($0.40) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.19) by ($0.21). Valneva had a negative return on equity of 153.20% and a negative net margin of 110.33%.The firm had revenue of $39.37 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $44.17 million. Equities analysts anticipate that Valneva SE Sponsored ADR will post -1.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valneva

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Marex Group plc acquired a new position in shares of Valneva during the 2nd quarter worth about $64,000. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Valneva during the 4th quarter worth about $94,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. purchased a new stake in Valneva during the third quarter worth approximately $124,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 11.39% of the company's stock.

Valneva Company Profile

Valneva SE is a specialty vaccine company focused on the development and commercialization of prophylactic vaccines for infectious diseases. Headquartered in Saint-Herblain, France, the company applies inactivated whole-cell and recombinant technology platforms to address public health needs. Valneva's research and development efforts span a range of viral and bacterial pathogens, with an emphasis on travel-related and emerging infectious diseases.

Among its marketed products, Valneva offers IXIARO®/JESPECT® for the prevention of Japanese encephalitis and DUKORAL® for the prevention of cholera and diarrhea caused by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.