Valneva (NASDAQ:VALN) Shares Gap Up – Here’s Why

Valneva SE Sponsored ADR (NASDAQ:VALN)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $6.25, but opened at $6.61. Valneva shares last traded at $6.4240, with a volume of 141,684 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Valneva from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $15.00.

Valneva Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $9.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $9.57. The firm has a market cap of $551.10 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.08 and a beta of 1.80. 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) last released its earnings results on Sunday, February 15th. The company reported ($0.68) EPS for the quarter. The company 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Valneva SE Sponsored ADR will post 0.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valneva

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC increased its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 5,000 shares during the period. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Valneva in the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. bought a new stake in shares of Valneva during the third quarter valued at approximately $124,000. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Valneva during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $94,000. Finally, Marex Group plc acquired a new position in shares of Valneva in the second quarter valued at $64,000. 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.