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

Key Points

• Gapped up premarket — Valneva opened at $6.22 vs. the prior close of $5.96 and last traded around $6.245 (up ~3.9%), but remains below its 50‑day and 200‑day moving averages (~$8.89 and $9.19).
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but leaning positive: a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” with a $14.33 average price target (Guggenheim set an $11 target), based on three Buy and one Sell ratings.
• The company is still loss-making — reported -$0.68 EPS last quarter with a negative net margin (~67.6%) and negative ROE (~-76.8%) — and has a market cap of about $533 million and a debt/equity ratio of 1.52.

Valneva SE Sponsored ADR (NASDAQ:VALN - Get Free Report)'s stock price gapped up before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $5.96, but opened at $6.22. Valneva shares last traded at $6.2450, with a volume of 18,683 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Guggenheim set a $11.00 price objective on Valneva in a research report on Thursday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Valneva presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $14.33.

Valneva Trading Up 3.9%

The stock has a market cap of $533.45 million, a PE ratio of -3.92 and a beta of 1.97. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $8.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $9.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 2.38 and a quick ratio of 1.85.

Valneva (NASDAQ:VALN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Sunday, February 15th. The company reported ($0.68) earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $55.92 million for the quarter. Valneva had a negative net margin of 67.64% and a negative return on equity of 76.81%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Valneva SE Sponsored ADR will post 0.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC grew its position in Valneva by 125.0% in 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 in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. purchased a new position in Valneva in the third quarter worth about $124,000. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in Valneva in the fourth quarter worth about $94,000. Marex Group plc purchased a new position in Valneva in the second quarter worth about $64,000. Finally, China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Valneva in the fourth quarter worth about $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 11.39% of the company's stock.

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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