Valneva (NASDAQ:VALN) Sees Large Volume Increase – Here’s Why

Shares of Valneva SE Sponsored ADR (NASDAQ:VALN) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 23,245 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 46% from the previous session’s volume of 15,967 shares.The stock last traded at $9.9130 and had previously closed at $10.03.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Valneva in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Valneva from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $15.00.

Valneva Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $864.11 million, a PE ratio of -6.97 and a beta of 1.83. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $8.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $8.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Valneva (NASDAQ:VALN) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The company reported ($0.61) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.30) by ($0.31). Valneva had a negative return on equity of 59.44% and a negative net margin of 57.81%.The business had revenue of $34.01 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $48.85 million. On average, research analysts expect that Valneva SE Sponsored ADR will post 0.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valneva

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in VALN. Frazier Life Sciences Management L.P. bought a new position in Valneva during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $8,240,000. Marex Group plc purchased a new position in shares of Valneva in the 2nd quarter worth about $64,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. purchased a new stake in Valneva in the third quarter worth approximately $124,000. Finally, VSM Wealth Advisory LLC raised its stake in Valneva by 125.0% during the 3rd 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. 11.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.