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

Valneva SE Sponsored ADR (NASDAQ:VALN)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $6.30, but opened at $6.60. Valneva shares last traded at $6.67, with a volume of 8,909 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on VALN. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Valneva in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Wall Street Zen raised Valneva from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Finally, TD Cowen initiated coverage on Valneva in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $12.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $9.30.

Valneva Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $620.58 million, a PE ratio of -3.10 and a beta of 1.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.04. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $5.55 and a 200-day moving average of $6.70.

Valneva (NASDAQ:VALN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The company reported ($0.40) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.19) by ($0.21). Valneva had a negative return on equity of 153.20% and a negative net margin of 110.33%.The firm had revenue of $39.37 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $44.17 million. Equities analysts anticipate that Valneva SE Sponsored ADR will post -1.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valneva

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Marex Group plc acquired a new position in shares of Valneva during the 2nd quarter worth about $64,000. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Valneva during the 4th quarter worth about $94,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. purchased a new stake in Valneva during the third quarter worth approximately $124,000. Hedge funds and other 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.