Valneva (NASDAQ:VALN) Cut to "Sell" at The Goldman Sachs Group

Key Points

• Goldman Sachs downgraded Valneva from "neutral" to "sell" and set a $4.90 price target, implying roughly a 17.4% downside from the prior close.
• Valneva reported a quarterly loss of $0.68 EPS, has negative net margin and return on equity, and analysts forecast about -$0.81 EPS for the current year, indicating continued operating losses.
• Analyst views are mixed — three Buys and two Sells result in an average rating of "Hold" with an average target of $11.98, while the stock trades near its 12‑month low and has a market cap of about $510.6 million.

Valneva (NASDAQ:VALN - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating in a report released on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They presently have a $4.90 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group's price target points to a potential downside of 17.37% from the stock's previous close.

Separately, Guggenheim set a $11.00 target price on shares of Valneva in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $11.98.

Valneva Stock Performance

VALN opened at $5.93 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.38, a quick ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52. The company has a market cap of $510.63 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.75 and a beta of 1.97. The company's 50 day moving average is $8.74 and its 200 day moving average is $9.11. Valneva has a 12-month low of $5.43 and a 12-month high of $12.25.

Valneva (NASDAQ:VALN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Sunday, February 15th. The company reported ($0.68) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $55.92 million during the quarter. Valneva had a negative return on equity of 76.81% and a negative net margin of 67.64%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Valneva will post -0.81 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valneva

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Marex Group plc bought a new stake in Valneva during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $64,000. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Valneva during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $94,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. bought a new stake in shares of Valneva during the third quarter valued at approximately $124,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Valneva by 125.0% during the third quarter. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 9,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $110,000 after buying an additional 5,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Valneva during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 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.

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