Valneva (NASDAQ:VALN) Sets New 12-Month Low After Analyst Downgrade

Valneva SE Sponsored ADR (NASDAQ:VALN)’s share price hit a new 52-week low on Wednesday after The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded the stock from a neutral rating to a sell rating. The Goldman Sachs Group now has a $4.90 price target on the stock. Valneva traded as low as $5.22 and last traded at $5.25, with a volume of 463879 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.93.

Separately, Guggenheim set a $11.00 price objective on shares of Valneva in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $11.98.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valneva

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Valneva in the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC boosted its position in Valneva by 125.0% in 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. purchased a new position in Valneva in the 3rd quarter valued at about $124,000. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in Valneva in the 4th quarter valued at about $94,000. Finally, Marex Group plc acquired a new stake in shares of Valneva in the 2nd quarter valued at about $64,000. 11.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valneva Trading Down 11.5%

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 firm’s 50-day moving average price is $8.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $9.11.

Valneva (NASDAQ:VALN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Sunday, February 15th. The company reported ($0.68) EPS for the quarter. Valneva had a negative return on equity of 76.81% and a negative net margin of 67.64%.The company had revenue of $55.92 million for the quarter. As a group, analysts anticipate that Valneva SE Sponsored ADR will post -0.81 EPS for the current year.

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.