Valneva (NASDAQ:VALN) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

Valneva SE Sponsored ADR (NASDAQ:VALN)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $11.01, but opened at $11.46. Valneva shares last traded at $11.11, with a volume of 4,380 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Valneva from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Three investment 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 stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $15.00.

Valneva Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $947.35 million, a PE ratio of -7.65 and a beta of 1.80. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $10.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $9.65.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valneva

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VALN. Frazier Life Sciences Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Valneva during the 2nd quarter valued at about $8,240,000. Marex Group plc purchased a new position in Valneva in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $64,000. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Valneva during the 4th quarter worth approximately $94,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Valneva in the third quarter valued at approximately $124,000. Finally, China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Valneva in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. 11.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.