Valneva (NASDAQ:VALN) Downgraded to “Sell” Rating by The Goldman Sachs Group

The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Valneva (NASDAQ:VALN) from a neutral rating to a sell rating in a research report released on Wednesday morning, MarketBeat reports. The firm currently has $4.90 target price on the stock.

Separately, Guggenheim set a $11.00 target price on shares of Valneva in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Three 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, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $11.98.

Valneva Stock Performance

Shares of VALN stock opened at $5.25 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $8.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $9.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 1.85 and a current ratio of 2.38. Valneva has a one year low of $5.22 and a one year high of $12.25. The firm has a market cap of $452.08 million, a P/E ratio of -3.32 and a beta of 1.97.

Valneva (NASDAQ:VALN) last announced its earnings results on Sunday, February 15th. The company reported ($0.68) earnings per share for the quarter. Valneva had a negative return on equity of 76.81% and a negative net margin of 67.64%.The business had revenue of $55.92 million for the quarter. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Valneva will post -0.81 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valneva

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 5,000 shares during the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Valneva in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $44,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Valneva in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $124,000. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Valneva in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $94,000. Finally, Marex Group plc purchased a new stake in shares of Valneva in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $64,000. 11.39% of the stock is 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.