While Jefferies lowered its price target on Valneva, H.C. Wainwright kept its $18 price target unchanged.
Analysts on Monday expressed divergent opinions on vaccine company Valneva SE (VALN) after the firm said that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the license for its Chikungunya vaccine Ixchiq. Shares of Valneva tumbled over 19% on Monday.
Jefferies analyst Maury Raycroft lowered the firm’s price target on Valneva to $14 from $18 while keeping a ‘Buy’ rating on the shares following the news. The firm, which thinks there is some potential risk for ex-U.S. regulators to change their stance on Ixchiq licensure, added that Ixchiq is “not a major revenue driver” in the near term, according to TheFly.
H.C. Wainwright analyst Brandon Folkes, meanwhile, reiterated a ‘Buy’ rating on Valneva. Despite the FDA’s decision, Valneva has not revised its revenue guidance for 2025, the analyst noted. The stock selloff on Monday offers an attractive entry for investors who are constructive on a potential positive readout for VLA15, the company’s investigational Lyme disease vaccine, later this year, contends H.C. Wainwright. The firm views the selloff as overdone and keeps an $18 price target on Valneva, TheFly noted.
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around Valneva remained within ‘bullish’ territory over the past 24 hours, while message volume remained at ‘extremely high’ levels.
A Stocktwits user remains hopeful about the company getting acquired.
Another, meanwhile, said that they are cutting their risk.
Valneva said on Monday that the FDA suspended the license for Ixchiq in the U.S., citing four new reports of serious adverse events consistent with chikungunya-like illness. The suspension, it said, is effective immediately and requires the company to stop shipping and selling Ixchiq in the U.S.
All four cases occurred outside the U.S., the company said. While three cases occurred in individuals aged 70 to 82 years, one case occurred in a 55-year-old individual. The company also said that an 82-year-old was hospitalized and discharged after two days.
The firm said it believes all cases describe symptoms consistent with those reported during clinical trials, but added that it is continuing to investigate these cases in detail and will pursue further steps about the FDA’s decision if warranted.
The company also said that it is evaluating the financial impact of the withdrawal of Ixchiq’s license in the U.S. However, it did not modify its revenue guidance. In the first half of 2025, Ixchiq contributed €7.5 million ($8.74 million) to the company’s €91 million total product sales.
VALN stock is up by 116% this year and by about 18% over the past 12 months.
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