Valneva (NASDAQ:VALN) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Strong Sell

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Valneva to a "strong sell", while Goldman Sachs cut it to a sell; overall analyst coverage is mixed with an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $11.98.
• Shares trade near $5.50 (one‑year range $5.15–$12.25) and the company reported negative EPS (−$0.68 last quarter), a −67.64% net margin and a market cap of about $474 million, reflecting weak recent financial performance.

Valneva (NASDAQ:VALN - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen to a "strong sell" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on VALN. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Valneva from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $4.90 target price for the company. in a report on Wednesday. Guggenheim set a $11.00 target price on shares of Valneva in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valneva currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $11.98.

Valneva Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VALN opened at $5.50 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $8.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.02. Valneva has a one year low of $5.15 and a one year high of $12.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 1.85 and a current ratio of 2.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $473.61 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.48 and a beta of 1.97.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VALN. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Valneva during the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. Marex Group plc acquired a new position in shares of Valneva during the second quarter worth about $64,000. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Valneva during the fourth quarter worth about $94,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC increased its stake 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 worth $110,000 after acquiring an additional 5,000 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. acquired a new position in shares of Valneva during the third quarter worth about $124,000. 11.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Valneva

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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